Childhood Frog
by JDH1080
Summary: They met long before UA, long before he obtained One For All, they met when they were children.
1. Chapter 1

Well here is another new story, this should be the last new story for a good while, barring a certain sequel. I recently got into My Hero Academia, and oh my god this anime is so good. Like I could probably write five paragraphs detailing just how much I love this anime, and how it's my new favorite. Anyways I want to thank pervertmonster (the author of Ordeals of A Frog.) for giving me this idea. I read his story and enjoyed it up to a certain point. Sadly later chapters had a few themes that broke my enjoyment of the story, however I do appreciate you creating your story so that I could get this idea.

With that out of the way, please enjoy. Also for those who don't know, when Tsuyu says Gero that means ribbit. I decided to use gero since I did watch the show subbed. And also another writer on this site, who's story What Lies Beneath kind of got me used to seeing it written like that. Thanks Nucleophile

Edit: Chapter has been adjusted due to feedback. Thank you MarsDragon3180 for pointing out my slight flaw in Izuku's characterization.

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Childhood Frog

Chapter One

The moment the teacher walked in with an unfamiliar girl was when the room became quiet. Numerous eyes observed her curiously, this odd looking girl with long dark hair that had a shade of green to it.

Her rather unique appearance was obviously a result of her Quirk. Eyes the size of dinner plates and pupils dark as night, her expression conveyed little, but her mouth was wide. The new girl's hands were also a few sizes bigger than the other fifth grade girls.

From the back row, next to a crude-looking boy with unruly blond hair, a skittish looking child met her gaze. The nervous boy looked away upon seeing her eyes on him. Tsuyu mentally raised an eyebrow as he began muttering to himself. "Shut it, you damn Deku!" The blond discreetly hissed while socking the boy in the ribs, causing him to shut up.

"Class, this is Asui Tsuyu-chan." The teacher's introduction was enough to pull Tsuyu's eyes away from the two boys in the back. "She's going to be joining us for the rest of the year." Her new teacher's soft voice informed class. "I want you all to make her feel welcomed."

Tsuyu stepped forward before speaking. "My name is Asui Tsuyu, my Quirk is Frog-Form." The dark haired girl informed the room, not at all bashful of the traits her parents had passed down to her. "I hope to make a lot of friends. Gero." The girl said optimistically, wide smile and eyes taking in the class's wary expressions.

On the inside Tsuyu felt herself deflate slightly at the other children's response. She could hear the murmurs from her new classmates.

"Her hands are huge." One girl whispered.

"Those eyes..."

"Do you think she eats flies?" A boy with light blue hair asked loud enough to invoke the teacher's glare.

When the boy in question flinched the educator turned her attention back to Tsuyu, completely fooled by the frog-like girl's seemingly unaffected expression. "Tsuyu-chan, why don't you take that seat there." She suggested, indicating to the empty desk two rows in front of the dark haired boy who had met her gaze earlier. Tsuyu's mouth made a simple line as she nodded her head, walking past the quiet murmurs of her classmates she took her seat.

Class was a rather boring affair, the teacher explained the lesson to them and they took notes. During the small breaks throughout the day her classmates hesitated in talking to her. In fact no one dared to approach her, they were all content to give her weird looks and talk amongst their friends.

Interestingly enough the first person to work up the nerve to approach her was the skittish kid who sat two seats behind her. The green haired boy's ears burned hotly as he took slow hesitant steps towards the new girl. "U-u-um...Ah." He uttered too quietly for her to hear once he was in speaking distance. His face burned brighter as she didn't react to his false start.

The green haired boy took a deep breath before trying again. "E-Earlier y-you s-said your Qu-Quirk was ca-called Fr-Frog-Form?" Were the first words he managed. Tsuyu looked up from her meal to see the green haired boy looking at her. Tsuyu noted the redness in his cheeks, he seemed quite nervous. However this his eyes were wide with curiosity, and his smile while hesitant was honest.

The frog-like girl couldn't recall ever hearing his name, but she did remember what the crude-looking blond had referred to him as. Deku, to her it didn't seem like a term of endearment. In fact she was more than certain it was an insult. Considering his inability to look her in the eye, and stutter, she got the impression of a kicked puppy.

Tapping her pointer finger to her lip she looked up. "Yes, I did." The green haired girl eventually answered him.

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the blond boy who sat next to Deku. The boy, whose name she had learned was Katsuki, was currently looking at the green haired boy. His eyes were sharp, and his body language agitated. Tsuyu had the impression that he was not a nice boy, and quick to anger.

At her answer some of Deku's nervousness faded and he looked excited. "Th-that's such a co-cool Quirk." He sounded positively impressed. "What does Frog-Form do?" He asked, his voice betraying his excitement.

Tsuyu was slightly taken aback by his eagerness to learn about her powers. "You want to know about my Quirk?" Recovering slightly, the dark haired girl asked with a raised eyebrow.

The skittish boy hesitated slightly before nodding, the redness in his cheeks making a small comeback. "Ye-Yeah. I've never seen that Quirk, it sounds really cool." He told her honestly.

The dark haired girl stared at his open expression for a moment before nodding to herself. Gesturing to the empty desk in front of her she silently conveyed for him to sit down. The nervous boy's facial features exuded happiness at her nonverbal agreement. Taking a seat from across from her he opened his notebook and held his pen at the ready.

Tsuyu raised an eyebrow at that but didn't comment on his desire to take notes. "My Quirk gives me frog-like abilities." She told him before looking up slightly and tapping her mouth with her index finger. "I can jump really high, stick to walls, and my tongue stretches really far." She listed off as the young boy quickly wrote down her words.

* * *

As the rest of their classmates ignored them the two children continued talking for a while longer. Tsuyu found the boy's receptiveness to be a breath of fresh air as she detailed her abilities. When she mentioned how she could take her stomach out to clean it and being able to secrete poison, she was quick to tell him to ignore those bits.

To Tsuyu's surprise even after she had finished telling him about her Quirk he remained seated across from her. The teal haired girl was also pleased to note that most of his initial nervousness had faded. Eventually the conversation turned to the subject of why she had transferred to this school. The frog-like girl explained that after the birth of her baby sister, her parents had wanted a change of scenery. "I also have a little brother whose about four." She added in.

The boy, who she now knew as Midoriya Izuku, nodded attentively. "Th-that's really cool, I-I don't have any brothers or sisters." Izuku admitted, his expression becoming slightly crestfallen before perking back up. "But I do ha-have my mom and dad, even if dad's usually away..."

Tsuyu could relate to her parents being away. Though as of late her mom had been around a lot, mostly due to her having a newborn child. The frog-like girl's eyes strayed down to the open notebook in front of Izuku. While she couldn't immediately see what it said, she knew that he had written notes about her abilities. "So...What's that about?" She asked, indicating to the book between them.

The green eyed boy looked back up with a confused expression. Realization dawned on him when she pointedly looked at the notebook he had been writing in. "O-oh." He said before turning around and pushing it towards her.

Taking the notebook she briefly read the short summary of her abilities. 'He even wrote down how long my tongue can go.' She mused to herself, surprised by the level of detail for a ten year old.

The longer she peered through his notes the more self-conscious he became. "I-I'm making a database on he-heroes." The green eyed boy explained.

That piqued the young girl's curiosity, looking up she met his green pupils. "Really?" She asked before flipping through some of the earlier pages.

Landing on a page near the beginning of the book observed a sketch that reminded her of the blond boy. 'Kaachan?' The girl thought to herself before reading the notes on the blond boy's explosive Quirk. Interestingly enough it was his nitroglycerin-like sweat that allowed him to create the explosions.

Tsuyu found it interesting that the notes, in addition to detailing Katsuki's Quirk, also contained some information on the blond boy's preferred fighting style. 'He even wrote down the way he throws his punches.' The girl thought to herself, growing more impressed with how thorough Izuku had been.

Looking up from her reading she noticed Izuku's nervous eyes. Seeing as she hadn't said anything in awhile Tsuyu opened her mouth to compliment the boy. "This is really amazing, Midoriya-kun." She said, admiring the boy's dedication.

The skittish child's expression became slightly cautious. "Y-you mean that?" He asked, unfamiliar with her type of response. No one had ever paid him a compliment like that, so he was a little unsure of how to act.

Tsuyu seemed confused by his reaction. "Of course, it's really cool. Gero." She told him with a little more conviction.

The young boy smiled in response as his eyes watered slightly. "Th-thanks Asui-san." He responded, genuinely moved by her assertion.

The dark haired girl stared at him for a moment before her lips formed a large smile. "Call me Tsuyu." She told him, her eyes becoming slightly brighter. "People who are my friends, or who I want to be my friends can call me that." She explained to his questioning face.

Izuku's eyes threatened to spill tears at hearing that this girl wanted to be friends with him. "Y-you want to be friends with m-me?" He asked, unfamiliar with the notion of someone wanting to be friends with him.

When Izuku had approached her he figured he would simply ask her about her Quirk to add to his notes. The Quirkless boy had assumed that would be it, that this new girl wouldn't want much to do with him, he hadn't expected this at all.

Tsuyu was slightly surprised by Izuku's reaction. In the back corner of her mind she had to wonder if he was like her. 'Its almost like he's not used to people wanting to be his friend.' While it didn't show in her expression, she was sadden by the notion of such a thing. Deciding to push such thoughts away she nodded.

"Of course. I wouldn't have told you to call me Tsuyu if I didn't want you to be." The frog-like girl wanted this kind boy to be her first real friend.

Izuku stared at her for a moment before his lips formed a large smile that reached his watery eyes. "Thanks, Tsuyu-san." The wide eyed girl felt a small bit of warmth at hearing him use her given name.

"Oi, what are you doing Deku?" The antagonistic voice of Bakugo Katsuki reached their ears.

The two children turned to face the unruly blond. He was flanked by three unremarkable kids, and had his hands shoved into his pockets.

Tsuyu felt the urge to narrow her eyes, as her new friend stiffened at being called out by his childhood friend/bully. "K-Kaachan." She heard the skittish boy all but squeak.

Katsuki turned away from the easily intimidated boy to look at the dark haired girl. "Asui." He addressed her while crossing his arms over his chest. "You should stay away from Deku, he's a Quirkless loser." The blond told her loudly.

Tsuyu's wide lips dipped into a frown at Katsuki's belittlement of Izuku. The dark haired girl decided that she didn't very much like Katsuki. Turning to the dark haired boy across from her she watched as he folded in on himself.

Having only met him moments ago Tsuyu hadn't realized he was Quirkless. They hadn't quite broached the subject of his Quirk yet. Of course him not having a Quirk did nothing to lower her opinion of the kind boy who had been overjoyed to become her friend. Tsuyu stared at Izuku for a moment longer, taken in his crestfallen expression. The frog-like girl decided she didn't like seeing that face on her new friend. "Gero..." She uttered before clenching her hand.

Standing up she turned to face the blond who was the cause of Izuku's torment. "I don't care if Midoriya-kun is Quirkless." To the casual onlooker her expression remained flat. However there were subtle tells on her face that revealed her true feelings.

She was genuinely appalled at the blond for trying to ridicule her new friend. The frog-like girl was very tempted to whack the crude boy over the head with her tongue. Sadly the ringing of the bell that signaled the end of the lunch break, ruined any such plans.

Katsuki glared at the two before scoffing and walking over to his seat. Izuku looked at Tsuyu briefly as the blond boy's lackeys filtered away. Tsuyu tried to smile at him but was saddened at seeing him walk away as well. Dark eyes followed his retreating form as he slowly sank into his seat next to Katsuki.

Tsuyu tapped her lip with her pointer finger before releasing a soft croak. "Gero..." Packing up the remains of her lunch she pulled out her school supplies and prepared to endure the rest of the day.

* * *

The rest of her first day was fairly uneventful, before she knew it the final bell was ringing and everyone was leaving. No one else had bothered to talk to her today, Izuku had been the only one. Tsuyu watched as he remained quietly seated while the rest of their classmates quickly vacated the room. Mouth set in a thin line she watched as he sluggishly filled his yellow backpack.

He stood up as the last of their classmates left and made for the door. His eyes didn't turn in her direction, she wondered if he even realized that she was still there. Large hands curling into fists she stood up and moved to stop his quiet escape. Her long tongue curled around his wrist as it landed on the door, the boy looked up in surprise as she lightly tugged him in her direction.

Izuku's wide eyes met her blank stare as her tongue returned to her mouth, he had no idea what she wanted. In fact he hadn't even realized that she was still there. "A-A-A-As-sui-san?" The nervous boy seemed to now be sweating, prompting the girl to frown inwardly.

"Tsuyu." She reminded him before addressing the point she wanted to make. "Midoriya-kun, there's nothing wrong with not having a Quirk. You're fine the way you are." The girl told him bluntly, prompting his eyes to widen even further.

"Wh-wh-why do y-you say th-that, A-Tsu-Tsuyu-san?" He asked in a shaky voice.

Tsuyu averted her eyes for a moment. "People think my Quirk is weird. You were the only one who approached me today, I want you to be my friend." She firmly reiterated to him, laying all of her cards on the table.

Izuku seemed to calm down slightly, even though her facial features weren't showing it he felt sadness radiating from her. His desire to comfort her overrode any embarrassment he felt. He found it appalling that their classmates had avoided her. "Y-Your Quirk isn't w-weird at all, it's really neat." He was fully facing her now. He paused for a second to take a second to gain his wits. "I-I want to be your friend too, A-Tsu-Tsuyu."

The dark haired girl's lips curved up into a wide smile as her own eyes started to water slightly. Hearing those words made her feel warm. "Thank you, Midoriya-kun." She told him, her voice holding a bit of emotion.

Izuku shook his head as a tiny smile adorned his face and the tips of his ears became red. "I-If you want me to ca-call you Tsu-Tsuyu, then you have t-to call me b-by my na-name too." His words made her really happy.

Tsuyu's large eyes blinked slowly before she nodded. "Okay, Izuku." The frog-themed girl responded as warmth fluttered from within. The dark haired boy's expression relaxed as he allowed himself to bask in the shared warmth of making a friend.

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And that's the first chapter, no idea when I'll have the next one out but I hope you all enjoyed this.


	2. Chapter 2

Wow, I did not expect this story to garner such a positive reaction. A lot of favorites and follows, and even some glowing reviews. I am glad you all liked this, and am determined to make this story as enjoyable as possible. I hope that you all enjoy this second chapter, writing this story has been fun thus far.

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Childhood Frog

Chapter Two:

In the days following their initial meeting the two children continued their interactions. Izuku would sit with Tsuyu during lunch, and she would listen as he shared the notes he had of other heroes in his notebook. The frog-like girl had also expressed her own desire to become a pro hero. Izuku had smiled widely when his new friend told him that watching heroes like All Might had inspired her as well.

Thankfully in the week since they had met, Izuku seemed to have become a little less jittery with her. While he was still prone to stuttering a little, his face no longer resembled a bright red apple. "Ha-Have you decided on y-your he-hero name yet?" The kind boy asked her near the end of their lunch break on Thursday.

The frog-like girl nodded happily before revealing her desired Hero name. "The Rainy Season Hero, Froppy." Tsuyu paused to wait for her friend's reaction. Even though her facial expression did little to express her inner feelings of nervousness, she hoped that he liked it. Over the past week she had found that she valued his opinion, he was still the only friend she had at this school.

Izuku was blissfully unaware of the inner worry of his new friend. Thankfully her concerns were unfounded, as he thought her hero name sounded cool, he told her as such. "Th-That name really suits you, I-I like it." He told her honestly. On the inside Izuku felt a little sad, he couldn't even think of a hero name. 'Not like I can become one...' The green haired boy thought to himself, as he was reminded of his lack of powers.

Tsuyu became hopeful at his response. "You think so? Gero." Her question managed to pull him out of his less than pleasant thoughts.

Tsuyu's hopeful voice was enough to make Izuku momentarily abandoned the depressing train of thought he had nearly gotten on. "Uh huh. I-It sounds like a name that would be really p-popular with little kids, and it mat-matches your p-powers." He explained his reasoning for liking her hero name.

Smiling a large smile in response Tsuyu shot her long tongue out, and took the boy by surprise as she lightly tapped him on the cheek with it. Tsuyu felt the tips of her ears turn pink as she realized what she had just done. Retracting her tongue the green haired frog-themed girl did her best to look at anywhere besides him. "Sorry, Izuku. You just made me happy, I won't do that again." The teal haired girl promised, her voice conveying some embarrassment.

Stunned green eyes blinked at her as his once pale face turned bright scarlet and the freckles on his cheeks became more pronounced. "U-Uh..." The red face boy stuttered as his left hand went up to touch his cheek. "U-U-Uh, It's o-o-okay A-Tsuyu. I-I-I mind do-I mean do-don't mi-mind, uh..." Shaking his head he tried to assure her, jumbling his words in the process.

Even though he was highly embarrassed he honestly wasn't put off by her reaction to his compliment. Izuku wasn't mad or anything, far from it, he was just taken off guard. 'I-I've never had a gi-girl or anyone do that before...' His face became even redder as he tried and failed not to mentally recount what had just happened. 'Since s-she's l-like a fr-frog...does that co-count as a-a ki-kiss?' His face became even hotter as steam threatened to blow out of his ears.

Izuku shook his head and began muttering to himself. He really needed to get the sensation of feeling her tongue against his cheek out of his mind, or else he might spontaneously combust. "It didn't mea-mean anything like that. She was just happy, it's okay...No need to be embarrassed or overthink anything." He spoke quietly and quickly as the teal haired girl looked back at him.

Tsuyu smiled as her expression shifted ever so slightly to convey appreciation for her friend's acceptance. Even though her actions had made him uncomfortable he was still trying to accommodate her. 'Izuku is very kind.' Her opinion of the skittish boy was growing by the day. Sadly as Tsuyu opened her mouth to tell the muttering boy her honest thoughts of him she was interrupted.

Her words of praise died on her throat as the classroom door slammed open. "Hey, Deku!" Bakugo Katsuki called out as he sauntered in. His little group was standing behind him, watching their leader address the timid boy. Even if it did make him forget about his earlier discomfort, Tsuyu did not like the way her friend's shoulders stiffened. Silently she turned her dark gaze to the blond, her mouth curved downward. Katsuki, as if just noticing the frog girl, addressed her. "And Frogger's here too. I see you're still hanging around Deku."

Tsuyu's expression shifted ever so slightly, to convey her silent dislike. Izuku averted his gaze from the spiky haired blond as he greeted him. "K-Ka-Kaachan." The green haired boy couldn't help but stutter.

Katsuki scowled as he made his way over to the pair. "So, what were you two doing?" The blond inquired, his presence demanding an answer.

The green eyed boy tried to stutter a response, but was cut off as Tsuyu interjected. "Nothing that you need to worry about." Her usually flat voice held the slightest hint of defiance.

"What was that, Frog-face?" He asked, getting slightly riled up by her tone. To his annoyance Tsuyu refused to cower when he advanced upon her. "You know, you're a little too cocky to talk to me like that." Sparks started flaring as he held his hand up in a show of intimidation. Katsuki sneered even more when her expression remained unwavering. "Especially since the only friend ya got here is that stupid Deku." The blond boy's grin became savage as he saw her jaw tense ever so slightly, he had struck a nerve. "In fact, it's probably his fault that you haven't made any other friends."

Tsuyu's eyes narrowed as she gritted her teeth upon hearing his cruel words. "Gero..." The frog-like girl uttered as she felt her dislike for the blond growing. Hearing Katsuki badmouth her friend was enough to make her want to smack him. However before she could even make her body move to retaliate the warning bell, signaling the end of lunch, rang.

The frog-like girl watched as the scowling blond shoved his hands into his pockets and made for his desk. As far as Katsuki was concerned his job was done, Izuku's expression was quite defeated. All was right in the world, Deku was still a worthless pebble on the side of the road for him to kick.

Izuku kept his eyes fixated on desk, as usual Bakugo Katsuki was able to effortlessly damage what little self-worth he had. Against his better judgment a part of the Quirkless boy still couldn't help but admire the spiky haired boy's traits, he was strong and confident. Katsuki's very presence just screamed power, but his personality was too volatile. His childhood friend had no qualms with pushing those who he felt were beneath him, and he wasn't afraid to come to blows when someone dared to challenge him.

There was a point when they had been good friends, Izuku used to always follow Katsuki around. Despite the blond boy's penchant for looking down on others, he was a natural born leader. When the ashen haired youth obtained his Quirk and Izuku was revealed to be forever without one, the tormenting began. At first Izuku could take it, the teasing and display of power weren't anything new. But then Katsuki did something that the green haired youth could not stand for.

The skittish boy still remembered the first time he had tried to go against Katsuki. The boy curled his hands into tight fists as he recalled the moment he saw his old friend knock that small boy to the ground. Midoriya Izuku might have been afraid of Katsuki, but as someone who aspired to be like All Might he could not stand by. And standing up to his explosive friend had cost him their friendship.

When Tsuyu turned away from the retreated blond her heart sank at seeing her friend's crestfallen look. "Izuku?" The boy flinched and uncurled his hands before looking up at her. He was only able to hold her stare for a brief period before averting his gaze. He didn't like the way her lips trembled in the aftermath of Katsuki's verbal attack. 'It's because of me she doesn't have any friends.' He couldn't help but think.

Inwardly he could feel himself deflating as he started to doubt himself. 'Kaachan is right...' The green haired boy was observant, and had noticed that all week no one save for him had tried talking to Tsuyu. 'Maybe it is my fault.' If that was the case than he should stay away from Tsuyu, she should more make friends.

Tsuyu felt her shoulders slump forward a little as her friend refused to look at her. "Gero..." Hesitantly she placed one of her hands on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" Tsuyu asked, her voice becoming concerned.

The green haired boy couldn't even work up the nerve to look at her again. "I-I'm alright." He weakly assured her before gently shrugging her off.

The frog-like girl opened her mouth to contest his bald-faced lie, however the timely arrival of their teacher killed that plan. "Class, take your seats." The soft spoken woman ordered. When the class of fifth graders didn't immediately heed her instructions, and continued going on as they pleased she opened her mouth. Everyone flinched as a high pitched shriek filled the room, after a moment it died down and the teacher repeated her order.

Ears ringing Tsuyu spared one last look at her friend before doing as the teacher instructed. The rest of her classmates moved quickly to comply with their teacher's orders, for fear of her using her screeching Quirk again.

* * *

The rest of the school day seemed to go at a crawl, but after a few hours the students were released. Lively students like Katsuki and his friends were the first to rush out of the room, the blond knocking students out of his way as he left.

Tsuyu glanced over her shoulder to see Izuku slowly putting his things away. Over the week she had noticed that the green haired boy had about as many friends as she did. A part of her couldn't believe how mean the other children could be. Even if they didn't openly bully Izuku like Katsuki did, no one ever tried to help or interact with him.

The teal haired girl quickly came to a decision as she slid out of her seat and walked over to him. He must have heard her approach as he whipped his head up to see who was coming towards him. "Izuku, let's walk home together." She announced to him, not caring who was in hearing distance.

Looking surprised at her out of the blue declaration the boy started stuttering. "U-uh I-I don't kn-know a-about that A-Asui-san." The Quirkless boy responded, feeling that maybe it was a bad idea for them to associate with each other. If his presence really was making it hard for her to make friends then he didn't want to cause her any more trouble.

Tsuyu's face remained unchanged, but on the inside she was sad to see him like this. "Call me Tsuyu." She reminded him simply. "I want to walk home with you, because we're friends." She told him straightforwardly. "You shouldn't let Bakugo's words get to you." From the way he recoiled Tsuyu knew that she had struck the root of his current mood.

The Quirkless boy's expression deflated as he looked away from her. Frowning Tsuyu went for a more direct approach, grabbing the boy's wrist she got him to his feet. "Come on, Izuku, let's go." The dark haired boy's face became red at the unexpected action. Thankfully he still had enough of his mind to grab his bag before letting Tsuyu lead him away.

Once they were out of the school she had let go of his wrist and he had continued walking alongside her, albeit at a slower pace. The mood between them was slightly tense, and the silence was bothering Tsuyu. Even if she wasn't exactly a talkative person she didn't like this sort of quietness. "Um...A-Asui-san?" Surprisingly Izuku managed to break the silence just moments before she was about to.

Glancing over her shoulder Tsuyu saw that the boy had stopped walking and was currently looking down at his shows. Before she could correct him on the usage of her name, he was speaking again. "I-I think Kaachan is right..." Eyes still fixated on the ground he muttered, prompting the teal haired girl to frown.

"He's not." She was quick to argue, hoping to dissuade from listening to his childhood bully. "Bakugo is not right. It doesn't matter if I make any friends other than you." She told him resolutely. A couple of days ago she might have hesitated a little in that line of thought. However seeing the way that Izuku was treated by his classmates she didn't want to be friends with them. 'Not if it would mean having to ignore Izuku.'

The green haired boy snapped his now tear filled gaze up. "B-but A-Asui-sa-."

Not wanting to hear his argument she cut him off. "I told you, call me Tsuyu." The frog-like girl reminded him again before stepping forward. "I want people who I consider my friends calling me that, and you're my friend, Izuku." When he opened his mouth, most likely to protest, she covered it with one of her large hands. "Izuku, I'd rather have you as my only friend that not have you as a friend at all." She told him wholeheartedly.

After a moment Tsuyu slowly removed her hand from his mouth and lowered it to her side. The crestfallen boy looked at her for a little while before averting his forest colored gaze. "As-Tsuyu..." He corrected himself. "D-Do you think..." He spoke softly before trying again, this time a little more firmly. "Do you think it's p-possible for someone who doesn't have a Qu-Quirk to become a hero?"

The teal haired girl was slightly taken aback by his question, having not expected it. When she didn't immediately answer him he continued speaking. "E-ever since I was little, I-I wanted to be a hero. I looked up to All Might so m-much, I wanted to b-be just like him. saving people with a huge sm-smile." The tears from earlier had started streaming down his cheeks. "When I-I was four, I was told that I didn't ha-have a Qu-Quirk, and that I should give up." The powerless boy made a muffled sniffle. "Despite that I still want to be a hero, l-like All Might." His voice had a slight creak in it. Clenching his eyes shut he tried in vain to stop the flowing tears.

Tsuyu stared at him for a moment before looking away. Honestly she didn't have a proper answer for such a loaded question. Despite her young age the teal haired girl knew that being a professional hero was a dangerous job, many had their careers cut short due to lasting injuries or even died doing their job. 'And most of those heroes have amazing powers, Izuku doesn't have any...'

The responsible thing, for his own safety, would be to tell him no. That he should throw away his dream, and aspire to be something else. Yet Tsuyu couldn't do that, this was her friend and he shared the same dream as her. Her heart was telling her to encourage him, to support him. Just because he didn't have a Quirk didn't mean that he couldn't get somewhere, as long as he had the resolve.

At least that was what she believed. "I...I don't think it's impossible." She finally told him, his watery gaze snapped back up to her. "It'll be hard and dangerous. And you'd have to work a hundred times as hard as everybody else. But I don't think it's impossible for someone without a Quirk to be a hero." She told him honestly.

Tsuyu stood quietly, allowing her words to hang in the air, as Izuku stared back at her. The salty tears seeping out of his eyes only grew in volume as he fell to his knees. The teal haired girl watched as the boy cried out his repressed frustrations, throughout it all she heard him muttering through his broken sobs. "Thank you, thank you, thank you." The frog-like girl wordlessly sank down in front of him, to her surprise the boy leapt forward and captured her in a tight hug.

A startled noise escaped her mouth, but after a moment she returned the embrace. Tsuyu closed her eyes and held him even as her shirt became wet with tears. Without realizing it she would become an invaluable pillar of support for him, a role she would happily take.

* * *

A rather emotional ending for the second chapter. Hope you all enjoyed it.


	3. Chapter 3

Well here's the latest chapter of Childhood Frog. I want to apologize for not having this out sooner, I wanted to post it after work on Saturday, but sadly afterwards I lost track of time. But here it is now, and I hope you all enjoy it. Also want to say thank you for the overwhelming positive reaction to this story, I am very happy that people are getting enjoyment out of this. I hope to keep giving you all my best.

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Childhood Frog

Chapter Three:

Two days after Izuku cried his eyes out to Tsuyu, saw her coming to his place of residence for the first time. It was Saturday just before lunch time when she knocked on the door to his home. The teal haired girl stood patiently as she waited for the door to open.

Tsuyu couldn't get the scene from Thursday out of her mind, Izuku crying out his frustrations after her much needed encouragement. Once he had calmed down and they had gone their separate ways she had come to a decision. 'I'm going to help him.' Was what she told herself. Later that evening after she had gotten home she had started devising a plan, a way to help get Izuku closer to his dream.

While she realized that there wasn't all that much she could realistically do, Tsuyu knew that a rigorous workout schedule would go a long way, and she wanted to help her friend. So she had spent Thursday and Friday night devising a workout schedule and a healthy diet plan. Thankfully she was resourceful, the internet had proven invaluable in helping her draft up her plan.

Tsuyu was abruptly brought out of her thoughts upon seeing the door open. A young, slightly overweight, woman with green hair appeared before her. She had her hair tied up in a simple ponytail and was wearing a yellow apron over a pink sweater. The teal haired girl could see the striking resemblance to her friend, this was obviously Izuku's mother. "Hello Midoriya-san, I'm here to see Izuku." The frog-like girl informed the older woman unblinking.

Midoriya Inko smiled excitedly at the appearance of the young girl before her. "Oh you must be Tsuyu-chan, you are just so cute!" The older woman told her excitedly. She was happy to see a friend was visiting her son. 'A girl at that.' The green haired woman thought to herself, overjoyed that her son might have a little girlfriend..

Tsuyu felt her cheeks tint ever so slightly as she averted her eyes. She wasn't used to having someone react like that too her, it made her feel a little embarrassed. "N-Nice to meet you..." The ten year old stuttered slightly, feeling a little self-conscious.

Inko's warm smile widened, she found the frog-like girl's reaction adorable. "Come on in, Tsuyu-chan." Her voice was slightly bubbly as she invited her son's friend into her home. "Izuku should be in his room, down that hall." Inko informed her as she indicated past the living room. "I'll call for you both when lunch is ready." The older woman informed her before returning to the kitchen.

Tsuyu watched the older woman work in the kitchen for a moment. The dark eyed girl observed the older woman call forth a ladle from faraway before turning away. Taking a deep breath she walked down the hallway that Inko had pointed out.

Coming upon a door with a blue All Might themed nameplate that read IZUKU on it she raised her fist and lightly knocked on his door. "Izuku?" She called out before lowering her right arm. Tsuyu blinked in alarm as she heard a loud yelp followed by a thump. "I-Izuku, are you okay?" She asked, slightly worried that he might have hurt himself

What she didn't know was that before she had knocked on his door Izuku had been mentally psyching himself for her arrival. He was in the process of reassuring himself that he could handle having a female friend over, in his room, mostly unsupervised. And when she had knocked she had brought him out of his mutterings and caused him to trip over an old action figure and land on his rear.

At her concerned tone he forced himself to answer. "Y-Yeah...I-I'm okay." Was his weak reply. Some shuffling and a few moments later Tsuyu watched the door open to reveal a slightly disheveled Izuku. He was wearing a red T-shirt, blue shorts, and white socks. His hair was slightly messier than usual, and his breathing was a tad erratic. She could plainly see that he was pretty anxious. "U-um p-p-please co-come in Asu-Tsuyu..." He quickly corrected himself.

Tsuyu frowned at his body language, he was almost as jittery as the first day they met. "There's no reason for you to be nervous, Izuku." She told him directly, finding his awkwardness around her unnecessary. Her eyes started scanning around his room, she knew that he admired All Might but... 'He has a lot of posters...' The teal haired girl thought to herself before looking over to his bookshelf and occupied herself by silently reading the titles.

The green haired boy gulped lightly before nodding. Rubbing the back of his head he stuttered out an apology. "So-Sorry...I-It's just-I've ne-never had a gi-girl in my room before..." When Tsuyu's gaze returned to him he felt his face becoming even hotter.

Tsuyu felt her own cheeks tint slightly pink as his explanation made her realize something. 'This is the first time I've been in a boy's room...' The frog-like girl thought to herself as she adopted some of his nervousness. Averting her gaze she addressed his statement. "Gero...If you're uncomfortable having me in here, we can go into the other room..." She offered amicably.

The green haired boy's looked away for a moment before shaking his head. "N-No, i-it's okay." He assured her as some of the heat left his face. "Ju-Just give me a moment." He quietly asked, to which Tsuyu nodded. The frog-like girl discreetly observed him out of the corner of her eye as he composed himself. .

"Okay, Izuku. Take your time." Tsuyu told him understandably before walking over to his computer chair and seating herself. "Gero." The teal haired girl simply smiled as she waited patiently.

The Quirkless boy gave a stiff nod in silent thanks before slowly lowering himself onto the edge of his bed. A couple minutes later when he felt that he was relaxed enough he looked over to her. "S-So...Why did you want t-to come over to-today?" Nervousness aside, Izuku was in no way against his only friend wanting to visit him. However he was still curious as to the nature of this first visit.

The teal haired girl smiled at seeing him slightly more calm. Reaching into her bag she pulled out a folder with a few leaflets of paper. "After the other day," Izuku's blush returned as he realized what she was referring to. Even two days later he still remembered the sensation of having her arms around him as he cried into her shoulder. Ignoring his reaction Tsuyu continued her explanation. "I thought it over and decided I wanted to help you."

That caught his attention. "H-H-Help me? H-How?" The green haired boy inquired as he momentarily forgot his embarrassment. The Quirkless child couldn't help but wonder what was going on in her head. Before long Izuku would find her penchant for speaking her mind to be one of the things he admired about her. .

Tsuyu's lips curved up into a wide smile as she passed the folder to him. "I figured that if you want to become a pro hero, then you need to work for it." The teal haired girl explained as her friend opened the folder and began reading the contents. "It's a workout plan, and a list of foods you should eat if you want to be healthy." Green eyes quickly scanned the first sheet before he went to the next. "You don't have a Quirk, so you'll want to be strong as humanly possible."

Izuku didn't answer her as he continued reading the plan she had laid out. "Early morning jogs before school, sit ups, push ups, and squats...Hmmm..." Tsuyu blinked as he started muttering to himself, making little additions to the plan. "Also stretching is important, wouldn't want to pull or tear something..." The muttering continued as he turned to the next page which had a list of foods that he should eat, and those he should avoid.

Tsuyu remained silent as the boy continued muttering to himself, this time about the types of foods he would have to eat. Truthfully she was starting to feel a tad worried at his reaction, considering she had just sprung this on him. Her intentions were honest, but there was the possibility that he could view this as needless meddling. The frog-like girl tapped her finger against her mouth before speaking. "If you don't want to, you don't have to. Gero..." She told the boy, causing his gaze to snap back to her.

Izuku blinked in confusion before looking back at the sheets of paper in his hands. While her facial features remained hard to read he could see the slight tenseness in her shoulders. Shaking his head he quickly assuaged her doubts. "N-No, that's not it." He told her before clearing his throat. "I-I really appreciate this As-Tsuyu." Tsuyu noted his slight slip up, but did appreciate his effort in referring to her as she asked. "I...I'm just surprised th-that you would go through all th-this t-trouble for m-me." Izuku told her, the tips of his ears becoming red.

Tsuyu felt relieved by his reaction, but frowned as realized that she should tell him the other part. "Gero, well..." She trailed off. "This doesn't just help you, I'm going to be using this as well." The dark eyed girl admitted to him before elaborating. "Izuku, you're not the only one who wants to be a hero, and this seems like a good way to get stronger." Thinking about Izuku's situation made her realize that she too wanted to strive for more. If someone without powers could aspire for so much, then she felt that she should be doing her best as well.

"Before we know it we'll be in middle school, and then high school." The frog-themed girl looked down at her large hands, before folding them over her lap. "I want to get into the hero course at UA, and I know that it's not an easy school to get into." Tsuyu told him before looking back up with determined eyes. "I hope you don't mind me working with you." She asked him, her expression betraying only the slightest hint of her nervousness.

Izuku appeared stricken by her admission, but he was by no means upset. His stunned expression morphed into pure happiness. Standing up he walked over to her and bowed in respect. "I-I don't mind at all, in fact I feel so lucky." He was trying and failing at hiding his tears of happiness. "I promise I won't hold you back." He swore, hoping that he would not be a burden on her.

Tsuyu was about to open her mouth, to tell him that he would in no way hold her back. Sadly the words ended up dying on her throat as Inko called for them. "Izuku, Tsuyu-chan lunch is ready!" Izuku jerked out of his bow before turning to look at the door to his room. The two kids shared a glance before quickly leaving to join Izuku's mom for a nice warm meal.

* * *

Just a little before seven that following Monday morning, the two began their rigorous training routine. Thankfully the park wasn't far from their school. It had a couple of swings and a few structures for children to play on, plus a couple of benches that parents could sit on. When Izuku, wide awake and ready to train, arrived he was dressed in dark blue running shorts and a gray T-shirt. In addition to his school supplies the yellow bag on his back contained a change of clothes, plus a couple of water bottles.

Tsuyu had also opted to wear clothes better suited for working out. Black shorts that stopped just above her knees and a light green short sleeved shirt. The two placed their bags by a bench, and per Izuku's suggestions began some stretches. Once they felt that they were loosened up enough they began jogging around the park.

To Izuku's slight dismay Tsuyu proved to be much more physically capable then him. During their jog she consistently remained in front of him by at least a few steps. The teal haired girl had her Quirk to thank for her stronger than average legs. Though despite her advantage the green haired boy was in no way deterred, and instead opted to do his best to be able to catch up to her.

By the end of their first jog he was red in the face and barely able to catch his breath. Retrieving one of the water bottles from his bag he twisted the cap and nearly emptied in two large gulps. The cool water did much to relieve his parched throat. Taking a moment to catch his breath he kindly offered the second bottle to his friend, who thanked him as she accepted it.

Push ups and sit ups were next, and these two exercises left Izuku sweating and even more out of breath. In addition he was also feeling the burning of muscles he had rarely ever used. Tsuyu could also admit to feeling fatigue from these activities, even if her legs were strong, she was discovering that her upper body strength paled in comparison.

At around 7:50 the two ten year olds decided that they should leave, lest they wanted to be late for school. Before leaving the pair made use of the public restroom to change into their school clothes. Staying awake during the morning lessons after their workout proved to be a trial all on it's own. Thankfully, despite their shared exhaustion the two managed to remain relatively alert until lunch time.

Izuku yawned tiredly before slumping forward as the lunch bell rang. HIs eyes slowly slid shut and he allowed his body to relax and surrender to sleep. Sadly he was denied as a familiar fist met his exposed flank. "Gah!" The green haired boy cried out. Izuku rubbed his sore side, he was still feeling the tingling burn from his morning exercise.

The green haired boy was unsurprised to see who had socked him. "Stay awake Deku," Katsuki sneered at him with a harsh scowl. "If you snore during class I'll hit you even harder." The antagonistic blond promised before going to join his friends for lunch.

Izuku sighed tiredly as he watched his childhood bully leave, once he was gone he allowed himself to relax. In the midst of pulling out his lunch he noticed that Tsuyu was slowly making her way over to him. The green eyed boy smiled up at her as she pulled the seat out from in front of him. "Still feeling sore, Izuku?" His frog-like friend inquired, as she slumped in the chair from across him.

The green eyed boy pursed his lips before nodding hesitantly. Sadly his arms and legs were still sore from the morning workout. "Y-Yeah." He sheepishly admitted, causing the girl to smile sympathetically.

"Hmmm." The frog-like girl sounded before tapping her mouth with her finger. "I bet Bakugo hitting you didn't help matters. Gero." Her lips had dipped into a frown as she had seen the brief exchange.

Izuku's eyes narrowed slightly as he nodded. "Y-Yeah..." The green haired boy answered before looking down at his hands.

Tsuyu looked away, over the last week she had come to dislike that crestfallen expression. "Izuku, let's go eat outside." She suggested, hoping that maybe eating outside on this nice day might cheer him up. Izuku looked back up at her in surprise, he hadn't expected her abrupt announcement. "I figured maybe eating outside might cheer you up." She explained, hoping that would be enough for him.

The Quirkless boy made an O shape with his mouth before offering a small smile. "Th-Thanks, Tsuyu." He said, his cheeks tinting slightly at her thoughtfulness. Izuku was quickly learning that Tsuyu's instinct to help was a trait he admired about her.

* * *

The two found themselves seated outside of the school building in the courtyard. With it being a very nice September morning, and the weather being fair, there were a number of other students. The two were in a slightly more secluded section of the courtyard, under a small tree that offered moderate shade. "So you've known Bakugo since you were little?" Tsuyu asked, prompting a nod from her friend.

Izuku's eyes became faraway for a second before he nodded. "Yeah. He and I use to play together." The Quirkless boy answered while thinking back to better times. "In a way I use to really admire him." He admitted, prompting a curious look from his friend. "Even if he was a little rough around the edges, Kaachan was an amazing leader and so confident. I wanted to be able to be like him." Izuku's shoulder's hunched forward lightly. "But then he learned what his Quirk was."

Tsuyu's expression went through a variety of subtle changes as she listened to her green haired friend recount from his childhood how the friendship between him and Katsuki came to an end. How he received his nickname, Deku, how his attempts of kindness to the blond were rejected. And even how he watched the person he once considered a friend push someone weaker than him down.

The teal haired girl watched as her friend balled his hand into a small fist. She could see that this was somewhat monumental to him. "I couldn't let it slide. A hero like All Might wouldn't allow that to happen." The green haired boy said a serious expression.

Tsuyu stared at the boy for a few moments before smiling widely. "Izuku you're very kind." Hearing that compliment caused the Quirkless boy to blush lightly. Tsuyu smiled at her friend's response before turning her attention back to her meal.

Heat returning to his cheeks Izuku's mouth curved into a smile. "H-Heh, uh... Th-Thanks..." He rubbed the back of his head bashfully. Despite the embarrassment her compliment brought, Izuku founded that it felt good to hear someone say these sorts of things to him.

Before they knew it lunch was over and they settled in for afternoon lessons. Somehow the two children managed to keep awake for the remainder of the day. As the final bell rang Izuku let out a tired sigh and nearly collapsed on his desk. All of the other students quickly collected their things and began spilling out of the room.

After making sure she had everything she needed Tsuyu turned to look at Izuku. Her lips curved into a small smile at his look of exhaustion. Nearly everyone had vacated the room by the time she walked over to his desk. "I'm tired too, Izuku." She told him understandably before patting his shoulder.

The green haired boy smiled weakly at their shared fatigue. "I know. This new schedule is just something I'll have to get used to." Izuku told her before lifting his head off his desk. "Like you said, I need to work a hundred times as hard as everybody else. This is just the first step to becoming a pro hero." He met her dark eyes with shimmering green ones.

Tsuyu felt her mouth part slightly before grinning. "You've got the right attitude, Gero." She complimented before moving to help him collect his things. "Just remember that I want to be a hero too, so I'll be right there with you." Izuku, eyes threatening to water, nodded as he returned her smile.

After they left the school they continued in the same direction for a little while. Their houses weren't too far away, according to Tsuyu. And as they came to the point where they would usually depart from one another Izuku decided to be a little bold. "Tsu-Tsuyu?" His hesitant voice caught her attention and she stopped to look at him.

When he didn't continue the teal haired girl prompted him lightly. "What is it?"

Taking a nervous breath he tried to keep from stuttering. "I-I was wondering if y-you wa-wanted to c-come over?" At the moment his face was slightly red, he still wasn't used to having a friend over. Also this was the first time he had ever asked for her to come over, last Saturday she had been the one to ask to come over.

Tsuyu stared at him for a few seconds, weighing her options. On one hand she wouldn't mind spending more time with Izuku, plus they could probably do their homework together. 'But...' At the same time she was kind of looking forward to passing out on her bed. Taking in his nervous yet hopeful expression a little longer made her decide on the former. "Okay." She answered, eliciting a sigh of relief from the shy boy.

When they arrived at his place Izuku's mom while surprised, was delighted to see Tsuyu. She even asked if the girl would like to stay for dinner. Tsuyu, seeing the kind faces of the Midoriya family said that she would love to. "Just let me call my mom." The teal haired girl added in, pulling her out rarely used cell phone.

A quick phone call later and Tsuyu had the okay from her family to have dinner at her friend's house. The two children retreated to Izuku's room to work on homework. They managed to get through a few problems before the relatively relaxed atmosphere lulled one of them to sleep.

Surprisingly Tsuyu was the first to drift, and ended up using Izuku's shoulder as a pillow. The green haired boy nearly had a heart attack at seeing his homework partner sleeping peacefully on him. Gulping he forced himself to remain still for fear of waking her. It was probably five or so minutes of nervous waiting before his own eyelids started to grow heavy. Letting go of his nerves he allowed himself to be fall asleep to the soft sound of Tsuyu breathing.

When Izuku's mom entered the room to check on them she was surprised at the sight that greeted her. Seated on the floor against Izuku's bed sat two snoozing ten year olds. Tsuyu's head was on her son's shoulder, while his head rested against hers. Like any kind mother Inko allowed them to sleep for a little bit, but not before snapping a couple photos on her phone.

Later when she woke them up the two groggy children, they enjoyed a light dinner before taking Tsuyu home.

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Well this was a tad bit longer than the last chapter. I hope you all enjoyed this.


	4. Chapter 4

So wow, I am constantly amazed by the reception this story has received. When I checked the story stats for last week's chapter I was blown away to see that over nine-hundred people had read this in a single day. Wow that's just amazing, thank you to all who have faved, followed, or reviewed. And even those who silently read I appreciate you as well and hope that you are enjoying this story, because I enjoy writing it.

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Childhood Frog

Chapter Four:

Over the next couple of weeks the pair of aspiring heroes diligently continued their schedule. They would meet in the park roughly an hour before school to train. Izuku, and even Tsuyu to an extent, initially found the work difficult. The first couple of days saw the two ten year olds ready to collapse by the time they arrived to school. However as time went on they gradually began to acclimate to the routine, and slowly adjusted their workout.

Additionally they had also informed their parents that they wanted to start eating healthier, and had helped devise new shopping lists for their respective households. To Izuku's delighted surprise his mother also seem to decide to follow his example in eating. While she was still a little on the heavy side, she did seem to benefit from the healthier food choices.

When Izuku's mother learned about his training plan she couldn't help but be a tad worried. Inko knew her son's lifelong dream was to be a hero, and she wished she could encourage him, but...The green haired woman was at least happy that Izuku seemed more upbeat and that he had a friend.

Tsuyu became a reoccurring presence at his house after school. The pair would usually work on homework together, and if Inko asked her to stay for dinner they would hang out. Normally they'd watch movies or play video games, or Tsuyu would listen to him ramble about the latest entries from his hero database. Things were going pretty swimmingly for them, they were getting along and having fun. It was during the end of their second month of friendship that their standard routine changed slightly.

The day started out about as regularly as the ones prior to it. Izuku, garbed in his work out clothes arrived at the park a few minutes after Tsuyu. Spotting her by the bench where they usually left their bags, he saw that she was already in the middle of stretching. "Good morning, Tsuyu." He greeted her with a friendly smile. Thankfully during the past two months he had managed to get over his stuttering problem around her. Plus he had even grown accustomed to calling her by name.

The frog-like girl looked up from her pre-workout stretching to see her best friend's approach. Smiling widely she waved at him. "Good morning. Gero." She returned his greeting with a smile as he neared her. Like him she was also wearing clothes best suited for exercising, she also had her hair tied up in a pony tail.

Izuku silently placed his backpack next to hers and adjusting his head and wrist bands. Grabbing his water bottle he took a quick drink before placing it by his bag and beginning his own stretches. The frog-like girl's dark eyes shined lightly at seeing the at ease expression on her friend's face.

While he was still a bit on the shy side, he seemed a fair bit more lively, at least when she was around. The teal haired girl smiled in silent victory as she resumed doing her own stretches. 'Izuku seems to have stopped stuttering around me as well.' She happy to note. The only few instances where it threatened to make a return, were the few times she said or did something to embarrass him.

Against her will Tsuyu felt her lips curved up into a grin as she recalled an event from last week. There had been a villain attack while they were on the way home from school. And Izuku being Izuku had decided to go and watch it to jot down more notes, and her being her opted to stick with him. When an on-duty hero, a young man with super speed who went by the name Quickster, saved the day, he allowed young children to take photos with him. When it was her and Izuku's turn she had latched onto the curly haired boy's neck in a tight hug, which had made his face resemble a tomato.

Coming out of her recollection, Tsuyu frowned as she remembered the important news her mother had told her this morning. "Izuku?" The frog-girl called out his name as she looked over to him.

Stopping mid-stretch Izuku returned her gaze. "Huh?" The usually shy boy tilted his head in question.

Tsuyu kept her dark eyes locked on his as she explained her important news. "I wanted to let you know that my mom said she was going back to work today." After giving birth to her baby sister, Asui Beru had been on maternity leave for roughly four months. "So I'll have to pick up my little brother from preschool, and my little sister from her babysitter."

At her to the point explanation the Quirkless boy gave a hesitant nod to show that he was listening. "Oh." He uttered, not expecting this. "I guess that means we can't walk home together..." The boy stated before looking away, trying to hide his disappointed expression.

Tsuyu mirrored his frown, also not pleased with the idea of not walking home together. Suddenly an idea popped up in her head, and it caused her mouth to curve up into a wide smile. "If you want, you can come to my house?" This was the first time she had tried inviting him to her home. "That is if you don't mind coming with me to pick up my younger siblings?" This would also be the first time he was meeting her family.

Truthfully Tsuyu would have asked Izuku to come over to her house two months ago, however she felt that he hadn't been ready. The teal haired girl knew that her friend was on the shy side, it took some effort for him to become comfortable around new people. 'Though maybe it's just with girls?' Tsuyu had considered, as Izuku didn't seem quite as nervous around most people of his gender.

The green eyed boy's face momentarily conveyed worry before relaxing slightly. This would be his first trip to her home so he was a tad nervous, because Tsuyu was his closest friend and he wanted her family to like him. "Th-That's a great idea, Tsuyu. I-I ha-haven't met your family yet, so this'll be fun." Izuku smiled, as he managed to keep his stutter to a minimum.

Tsuyu offered her friend an appreciative look, she found his effort to put aside his nervousness admirable. "You're very brave, Izuku." The tips of Izuku's ears became slightly pink at her compliment. "But if you're not comfortable coming over to my house yet, you don't need to force yourself." She told him understandably, while finishing her arm stretches.

This seemed to surprise the boy, who stopped his stretches completely. "N-No, not at all!" He exclaimed before lowering his voice. "I want to come over." Izuku firmly assured her, despite his nervous expression.

Dark eyes slowly blinked before her lips curved into a wide grin at his tone. "Okay then, after school we'll go get my little brother and sister, then go to my house." She told him before changing the subject. "Are you ready to start the workout? We don't want to be late for school."

Izuku, not wanting to stall, nodded. "I'm ready. Let's go." He told her before the two began their laps around the park. Over the course of the nex half hour the two ten year olds performed a variety of physical exercises designed to increase their strength and stamina.

After running Tsuyu suggested that they make use of some of the playground's structures to further their training. "We could do pull ups on the monkey bars."

Izuku stared at her for a moment as he considered her proposal. They hadn't deviated too much form their initial routine, and he felt that her idea was a decent way to add a little more variety. "Okay." He told her as they approached the metal structure that made up the monkey bars.

Tsuyu hopped up to the highest bar with little to no effort and grasped it. She looked down at her friend, waiting for him to take his place. Izuku offered a nervous smile before hardening his eyes in determination. Bending his knees he leaped into the air and managed to catch the bar just below Tsuyu's. Looking down he saw that they were a couple feet in the air, thankfully if he slipped it wouldn't hurt too much due to the soft woodchips beneath them.

Gritting his teeth Izuku used his arms to pull himself up and managed to get his chin over the bar. 'One...' He silently began counting before dropping back down and nearly letting go. When he felt that he was still secure he took a deep breath and did another rep.

Face red Izuku managed to make it to ten reps before dropping down. The curly haired boy clenched his teeth at the impact of his feet hitting the ground. Taking a moment to let the discomfort fade Izuku breathed out before standing up straight. The green haired boy wiped some of the sweat off his brow before looking up at his friend.

Tsuyu allowed herself to hang from her spot for a moment before also dropping down. "How about a quick break?" The frog-like girl proposed, like Izuku she was also sweaty and short of breath. The curly haired boy nodded at her suggestion and the went over to the bench where their bags were.

Pulling out their water bottles they allowed the cool liquid to parch their thirst. The pair spent the last fifteen minutes of the remaining time doing sit-ups and push ups. Once they were satisfied with their workout the two ten year olds retrieved their bags, used the public restroom to change, and made for their school.

* * *

School proved to be a fairly standard affair that day. The teachers were, as usual, mostly unaware of Katsuki's cruelness to his peers, namely Izuku. Tsuyu had found over the last couple of months, that being Izuku's lone friend resulted in Katsuki targeting her. Unlike her curly haired friend however she refused to let the blond intimidate her.

Tsuyu's eyes narrowed as an enraged Katsuki advanced on her. His teeth are clenched and his palms are sparking as he snarled at her. "You want to try that again, Frogger?!" He challenged aggressively while holding his right hand up, poised to strike her. "Don't think you can get away with crap like that, just because you're a girl!" His red eyes flare in agitation.

The events leading up to this scene are relatively simple. Against her wishes, Tsuyu had watched Katsuki belittle and berate her friend for the last two months. Normally her instincts would compel her to lash out at the boy, to make him leave Izuku alone. Sadly there was an annoying force that made her stay back, Izuku's insistence.

The green haired boy has stuttered his polite request once six weeks prior. When she had been preparing to strike an oblivious retreating Katsuki with her tongue, Izuku had stopped her. The usually timid boy had implored her not to attack his old friend/bully. "I don't want to see you and Kaachan hurt each other." He had told her, afraid of seeing his friend being retaliated on.

The frog-like girl had relented and agreed to her friend's request, until today that is. Tsuyu doesn't know exactly what happened, all she know is that the scene she came upon was not one she liked. Katsuki holding Izuku by the collar of his shirt, and him shaking her friend back and forth while demanding something of him.

Without even thinking her tongue had slipped from her mouth and shot out, striking Katsuki in the head hard enough to knock him over. The spiky haired blonde looked up, slightly dazed in surprise, but recovered quickly. Jumping back to his feet he looked over to the entrance to see Tsuyu's tongue retracting.

Which is how Tsuyu had arrived at this moment. Her large hands curled into fist, the teal haired girl was ready for any attempt the blond might try. Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of Izuku regaining his wits. Her green haired friend's face paled at seeing Katsuki bearing his fangs at her. "K-Kaachan!" The Quirkless boy cried out, stumbling to put himself in between his former friend and Tsuyu.

Izuku didn't have time to think, all he knew was that he didn't want Katsuki to hurt Tsuyu. Standing in front of the spiky haired boy Izuku did his best to keep his expression from faltering. "L-Leave her alone!" He ordered the other boy, who's expression became savage.

Suddenly there was a meaty smack, and the side of his face seared in pain. Izuku's feet left the ground as his shoulder collided with a desk and he hit the ground. From above a scowling Katsuki glared down at the Quirkless boy who dared to stand up to him. Tsuyu's wide eyes watched the stunned Izuku wince as he looked up his attacker.

Her wide frown turned into a snarl as she advanced on the blond, ready to strike back for the attack on her friend. However before she could claim retribution for Izuku she was interrupted by the sound of the classroom door sliding open. "What is going on in here?!" The teacher's usually soft voice, became shrill as all the students flinch.

Things snowballed from there, a random student that Tsuyu didn't know the name of informed the teacher of what happened. The teacher glared at the involved parties before ordering Tsuyu to escort Izuku to the infirmary.

Tsuyu led a silent Izuku down the hall by hand, the frog-like girl's lips were set in a frown. Dark eyes glanced over her shoulder to take in the appearance of her friend, she could see that his cheek was already starting to swell. The ten year old girl wanted to say something to him, ask him if he was okay, or why he chose to stand between her and Katsuki. Sadly at the moment words eluded her, Tsuyu inwardly sighed before hastening her pace ever so slightly.

Izuku's brow knitted as he watched Tsuyu's back, he can see the tenseness in her shoulders. Even though he's the one in pain he wanted to ask if she was okay. However he didn't break the silence, he instead allowed her warm hand to lead him.

The nurse was a twenty-something woman with strawberry blonde hair, and light blue eyes. Her Quirk was called Rewind, when she concentrated on a specific area she could reverse damage done it by rewinding time. With such a unique Quirk many would wonder why this woman would choose to be a nurse for an elementary school. Sadly her powers, as unique as they were, limited her to only being able to rewind up to fifteen minutes.

When the kind nurse saw Izuku's condition she released a surprised gasp before telling him to take a seat. Tsuyu, her expression impassive, watched from the side as the nurse placed a hand on her friend's cheek. In a matter of seconds the injury receded and any indication that Izuku had been hurt disappeared.

The school nurse smiled warmly at the green haired boy. "Is there anything else that hurts?" She asked, prepared to use her Quirk again. At the young boy's nod she asked him to show her where he was still hurting. When he indicated to his left shoulder she nodded and placed her hand on the inflicted area, in an instant the pain disappeared.

Izuku offered a thankful look. "Th-Thank you." He said nervously, slightly taken back by the nurse's sweet demeanor. The school nurse simply smiled and sent the two ten year olds back to their class.

The trip back to their classroom played out slightly different than the one to the infirmary. The moment the door slid shut behind them Tsuyu spoke. "Why'd you do that?" She blurted out, causing Izuku to whip his head around to look at her. When his expression conveyed his lack of understanding the teal haired girl elaborated. "Stand in the way. Why did you let Bakugo hit you?"

Green eyes brighten slightly as understanding dawns on the Quirkless boy. When Tsuyu's eyes continued a silent plea for her question to be answered he opened his mouth. "I didn't want Kaachan to hurt you." He told her simply.

Tsuyu's feet stopped moving as she stared at him, prompting Izuku to stop walking an instant later. The two silently regarded one another for a moment as Tsuyu organized her thoughts. Truthfully the teal haired girl wished her friend hadn't felt the need to get hurt on her behalf, but at the same time she could appreciate the sentiment.

Izuku averted his eyes after he felt that she had been staring for too long, it was becoming awkward. Tsuyu realized this quickly enough and broke the silence. "I don't like seeing you get hurt." She felt the need to preface. "But it makes me happy to know that you'd do that for me." Tsuyu couldn't lie even if she wanted to.

Izuku's mouth formed a shy smile as he took in her appreciation. Even though she had expressed her desire to not see him get hurt, the green haired boy knew that he'd protect her again without hesitation. The Quirkless youth hadn't realized it yet, but it was just a natural instinct for him to protect people.

* * *

The rest of the school day was fairly mundane, the only thing of real worth noting was Katsuki glaring daggers at Izuku and Tsuyu. Even though the teachers usually ignored the spiky haired boy's bullying they couldn't let his attack on another student go unpunished. 'Three days of staying after school, this sucks!' The scowling blond snarled to himself.

Once school let out the two aspiring heroes left to pick up Tsuyu's younger brother. The walk to his kindergarten wasn't very long, they passed by the park they usually trained at and a couple blocks later they were there. Izuku was able to spot Tsuyu's younger brother, Samidare easily enough, he and his sister shared some very defining features.

When the frog-like four year old walked up to his big sister he noticed the unfamiliar boy. His eyes scanned the older boy, realizing that this must be the friend that Tsuyu had mentioned at the dinner table on occasion. "Nee-chan, is this that guy you always talk about?" He asked his sister.

Izuku rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly at Samidare's questionm. 'I wonder if being up front is hereditary...'

Tsuyu cleared her throat before answering. "Yes, Samidare this my friend Midoriya Izuku."

Izuku offered a small smile at Tsuyu's little brother, he looked very much like his frog-like friend. His wide lips were set in a straight line as his dark eyes scanned the older boy. Izuku also noticed the blue markings on his cheeks.

Samidare smiled mildly after a moment before greeting the older boy. "It's nice to meet you, Midoriya-san." He said, surprisingly more articulate than what the green haired boy would expect from a four-year old. Looking at Tsuyu's little brother Izuku received the impression of a very reserved boy.

Izuku, realizing that was staring, nodded. "Y-Yes, it's nice to meet you too." He told the younger boy, who's expression became relaxed. Tsuyu smiled, she could see that her brother had no issue with her friend, she was happy.

The two older children led the way to Tsuyu's home, Samidare recounted his day in kindergarten to his older sister. When they arrived in the general neighborhood Tsuyu lead them to a house that was a couple doors away from hers and knocked on the door. It opened to reveal a kind old woman who greeted the frog-like girl with a warm smile.

"Little Satsuki-chan just went down for a nap, but I'm sure she's ready to go home." The elder told the three children as she gently passed the sleeping Satsuki to her older sister.

Tsuyu thanked the older lady before turning to leave with her brother and friend in tow. Arriving to her house she asked her little brother to pull the keys out of her pocket, their parents weren't home yet. Samirade nodded as he fished them out and handed them to Izuku. "I can't reach." The four year old informed the older boy who accepted the keys.

Turning the lock Izuku held the door open and allowed the Asui siblings to enter their home before following them. Closing the door he slipped his shoes off and looked up to take in Tsuyu's house for the first time.

The Asui residence was nice, the entrance led into a standard living room that had some furniture. In the center of the room were two sofas which were divided by a small coffee table that had a few of books on it. Izuku noticed an entrance to what appeared to bled into kitchen. On the other side of the room was an opened door, Izuku assumed that Tsuyu's and her siblings room probably led down that hallway.

To his surprise there's no sound within the house, save for the slight noise he and the Asui siblings made in their entrance. 'Tsuyu's parents must be at work or something.' The green haired boy thought to himself, feeling that conclusion made sense.

Izuku's eyes found Tsuyu reentering the living room, he hadn't even notice her disappear. Considering that she was no longer carrying her little sister he assumed that his frog-like friend had put Satsuki in her crib. Tsuyu's dark eyes found him, and she smiled. "Izuku, I'm going to make a snack for Samidare, then we can start on our homework." The teal haired girl informed her friend, who had no problem with this.

"O-Okay." The green haired boy answered before following her into the kitchen. Seating himself at the kitchen table he started pulling out his school supplies, as he watched Tsuyu put together a quick lunch for her little brother. Izuku was surprised to see just how natural his friend appeared in the kitchen. He hadn't tasted her cooking yet, but from how confident she seemed in the kitchen he assumed whatever she made would be delicious. 'Tsuyu must make meals for her little brother all the time.' He figured.

Once Tsuyu was done she handed her little brother his snack and joined Izuku at the table. The two ten year olds worked diligently on their school work as Samidare left them to go watch TV in the living room. They went uninterrupted for about thirty minutes when the front door opened, and in came Tsuyu's mother.

"Okaa-san." The two heard Samidare greet his mother. "Welcome home."

A moment later a woman in her mid thirties entered the kitchen. Izuku instantly saw the resemblance between mother and daughter. Ever the polite one Izuku was quick to greet her. "Hello Asui-san, my name is-." He was cut off as Beru spoke up.

"Oh you must be Midoriya-chan!" The older woman's jovial tone matched her wide smile. The long haired woman walked over to the two ten year olds. "I'm Asui Beru, but please call me Beru."

Averting his eyes Izuku nodded while offering a reply. "Ni-Nice to meet you B-Beru-san." Despite the slight nervousness he felt he was happy to meet Tsuyu's mom.

The thirty-five year old woman smiled warmly. "You're a sweet boy, Tsuyu-chan has told us so much about you." It was at this point that both ten year olds flushed horribly at the information being supplied by Beru. Inwardly Beru couldn't help but be overjoyed that her daughter had managed to make a friend. When she and her husband decided to move here she had been afraid that Tsuyu would have trouble making new friends. 'It's nice to see that fear was pointless.' Beru thought to herself before making for her bedroom.

The young aspiring heroes glanced at each other, cheeks tinted. Quickly Izuku averted his eyes as he became embarrassed by their little staring contest. Tsuyu kept her eyes on him for a few moments longer before smiling widely. "Izuku, do you talk about me too?" She asked, causing the green haired boy to sputter. Tsuyu felt warmth in her chest when Izuku eventually managed to answer her question positively.

The rest of the evening passed by in relative peace. Around the time the children finished with their homework was when Beru started making dinner. "We'd love it if you stayed for dinner." Tsuyu's mother had told Izuku as he packed his school supplies.

The green haired boy seemed to consider Beru's words before nodding. "Th-That would be nice." He told her.

While Tsuyu helped her mom in the kitchen Izuku passed the time by playing a card game with Samidare. As they played Satsuki woke up from her nap and was a curious individual. When she saw this unfamiliar boy she had wanted his attention. Which caused the green haired boy to entertain her by making silly faces in between turns of his and Samidare's game.

Just before dinner was placed on the table Ganma, Tsuyu's father, arrived home. Izuku could admit that initially he was intimidated by the man. Ganma's features were noticeably harsher than the rest of his family, and it always looked like he was glaring at him. However when the thirty-nine year old man actually spoke his voice gave off the impression of someone who was a giant teddy-bear.

The older man patted him on the shoulder and welcomed him to the family. The twin blushes he received from Izuku and his daughter made give a hearty laugh.

Dinner was a rather interesting affair. Izuku was used to quiet dinners with his mom, not that the noisy atmosphere at the Asui dinner table was bad. In fact it was nice to hear the family members converse as they ate, recounting their individual experiences throughout the day. After the family plus Izuku had finished eating Ganma began washing the dishes as Beru offered to walk Izuku home. Tsuyu wanted to come along, but sadly choose to remain at home to put her baby sister to sleep.

"It was very nice having you over." The long haired woman told Izuku as they neared his house. "It makes me happy to know that my daughter has such a good friend." The green haired boy's ears began heating up. "You're always welcomed in our home, Midoriya-chan."

The Quirkless boy stuttered a thank you to the older woman as they arrived to his home. Midoriya Inko stepped outside just as Izuku entered their home. Izuku vaguely heard the two mothers exchange friendly greetings as he went to his room to get ready for bed. Tomorrow would be another full day of training and school.

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed a longer than usual chapter. I was surprised at how long this chapter ended up being, but I had a lot I wanted to cover. Anyways once again thank you for reading and hopefully the next chapter will be out soon.


	5. Chapter 5

Well another week, and another chapter. Things are moving along swimmingly, we've got a bit of a time skip here and things are happening. I hope you all continue to enjoy this.

* * *

Childhood Frog

Chapter Five:

Izuku immediately caught sight of Tsuyu in the park that warm spring morning, the new school year would be starting next week and they were utilizing their break to the fullest. Almost every morning they had met in the park to exercise. It was amazing how far they had come in their morning training sessions. Over the last three years they had really benefited from their rigorous workout routine.

To his surprise Izuku had developed lean muscle and was now one of the most athletic kids in school. Obviously even with his physical prowess he couldn't even dream of matching the capabilities of many Quirks, but it was a nice confidence booster when he actually managed to outperform many of his classmates during gym.

Asui Tsuyu was still his only and best friend, yet the green haired boy was happy with that. Izuku felt blessed to have someone who had so much faith in him and wanted to help him accomplish his dream. It made him want to do the same for her, he knew that Tsuyu was on the right track to one day becoming an amazing hero. He looked forward to the day when he could see headlines for the frog-themed hero Froppy.

A warm smile graced his face as thoughts of his frog-like friend came to him. Izuku felt as thought the frog-like girl had blossomed as the years had gone by. She had become noticeably taller than him and her hair, now tied into a bow at the end, went down to her waist. Izuku could not deny that he viewed Tsuyu as a beautiful girl.

Over the last few months, which was when he really noticed his attraction to his friend, he had done his best to keep from putting too much thought into it. Which wasn't too hard, considering he very much valued her friendship, save for a few moments. There were some instances when his frog-like friend unintentionally, or maybe at this point it was intentional, invaded his personal space without warning.

Even as they got older she never stopped giving him hugs at certain moments, and even "frog kisses," the boy's face became flushed at those thoughts. Three years later and her displays of affectionate, while not unwelcomed, were still able to fluster him. Shaking his head Izuku chased away such musings, now was not the time to think about the feelings he harbored for his dearest friend.

Izuku had zero issue with admitting that he liked Tsuyu. However, despite his slightly improved confidence he was still too afraid to even consider confessing. Even though he knew her possibly not returning his feelings wouldn't end their relationship, he didn't want to put unnecessary strain between them. Izuku was content to have her as his best friend, he felt like he couldn't ask for more.

Tsuyu looked up from her stretches as she saw her best friend arriving to their usual spot. She smiled widely as she waved him over. However her smile faltered as she remembered the conversation she had with her parents last night. 'I have to tell him today.' The teal haired girl thought to herself before looking down at her feet.

As he neared her Izuku was able to pick up on her sudden drop in mood. Frowning he came to a stop just in front of her. "What's wrong, Tsuyu?" He asked worriedly.

"Gero..." The teal haired girl sighed before looking up. "Izuku, I'm moving."

Suddenly the world around them didn't seem quite as bright. Izuku's eyes widened and his mouth parted as he registered what Tsuyu had just said. Noticing the slight tremble of her lips he shook himself out of his stunned state and stepped forward. "M-Moving?" Sadly he wasn't able to string the proper words he needed yet.

The teal haired girl nodded before casting her eyes downward. "Otou-san was recently given a transfer, and we're moving back to our old neighborhood." She explained sadly.

Last night's dinner conversation had been highly unpleasant for her. She hadn't started openly crying like her three year old sister had, nor had she vocalized her desire to stay. Yet Tsuyu wholeheartedly wished to remain where she was, she didn't want to leave Izuku. She didn't want to be without her best and only friend. She feared that she wouldn't be as lucky as she had been three years ago in managing to make a friend.

Izuku listened to her, still not quite having wrapped his head around the fact that Tsuyu was leaving. When she finished speaking he asked the dreaded question that he was afraid to have answered. "When are you guys moving?" He asked in a small voice.

"The day after tomorrow." Tsuyu answered just as despondent "Tomorrow we're going to be packing up our belongings so we won't be able to meet up here." The teal haired girl explained. Her face didn't give much away, but the tension in her shoulders and dullness of her eyes conveyed much.

Izuku stepped forward and in a rare display of boldness wrapped his arms around the surprised girl. "Gero!" Tsuyu croaked as she slowly raised her arms to return the hug. It wasn't often that Izuku initialed hugs, so she felt it imperative to savor this. They both suppressed their own sniffles as they tightened their hold on each other.

The two friends stood there for a awhile until Izuku released his hold on her and stepped back. "Just because you're moving doesn't mean we're not friends, right?" The green haired teen intoned, doing his best to keep his voice leveled.

Tsuyu stared at him for a few seconds before smiling widely. "Of course, Izuku." She wouldn't let the distance strain their friendship. Logically when she thought about it she knew that her old neighborhood wasn't that far from here, maybe an hour train ride away. "We might not get to see each other everyday, but we can visit each other on breaks." She said, allowing some optimism to shine through.

The Quirkless teen smiled at his best friend, feeling his spirits already beginning to lift. "Exactly." He said in response. "Just because we'll be in different areas doesn't mean we won't still be friends." Heart warming at his talent of cheering her up Tsuyu's lips formed a large smile.

The two teens shared another meaningful look before moving on with their afternoon training. Although today it was a little less intense than usual. After awhile it devolved into them just playing around the park, as if they came to an unspoken agreement just enjoy their time together.

* * *

The next day Izuku came by Tsuyu's house to help her and her family pack. Samidare was the one to answer the door, his lips formed a smile. "Izuku-san." He greeted simply before welcoming the elder male in.

"Good morning, Samidare." The green haired teen greeted as the door closed behind him.

Samidare's response was drowned out a high pitched cry. "Izuku-niichan!" Izuku felt the air leave his lungs as a three and a half year old bundle of energy rammed into him. Keeping his feet planned the teen returned Satsuki's bear hug. "I don't want you to go bye-bye!" The little girl said with tears streaming.

Izuku smiled sadly at the little girl, tears threating to escape him. Clearing his throat he dropped down to one knee and patted Satsuki on the head. "It'll be okay Satsuki-chan." He said soothingly as Samidare watched on. "I'll still visit." He tried to reassure the young girl.

Satsuki sniffled before looking at him with teary eyes. "Promise?" She asked in a small voice. The little girl had practically known Izuku for nearly her whole life, and the thought of not seeing the boy who often played whatever game she wanted made her sad.

Taking in her hopeful eyes Izuku nodded. "Of course." He said as the girl held up her pinky finger. The Quirkless boy smiled, finding the girl's expression to be adorable. He met her pinky with his own before standing up to his full height.

Suddenly Tsuyu appeared from the hallway, carrying an empty box. Seeing the tail end interaction between Izuku and her little sister she smiled. "Izuku." She called out to get his attention. "I have most of my belongings in boxes now. Can you help me carry them to the moving van?" The teal haired girl inquired.

Izuku nodded. "Of course." He answered before following her to her room. The two teens went back and forth between Tsuyu's room and the truck outside. Every now and then they would spot Beru placing an array of cute knickknacks into boxes. While Satsuki occupied herself with one of her dolls and Samidare played a game on some handheld device.

Ganma was unable to help them this Saturday morning. Unfortunately he had been required to come into work that day and thus left packing to the rest of his family plus Izuku. The two fourteen year olds spent the next few hours helping Beru load box after box into the truck.

Tsuyu was walking back from the moving van when she saw her childhood friend carrying a particularly heavy box. Finding his effort endearing she rushed over to help him and took some of the weight off of Izuku, the two moved at a moderate pace and loaded the box into the van.

With the two teens doing most of the heavy lifting they managed to finish loading the van with all of the boxes. "Thank you so much, Izuku." Tsuyu's mother had told the thirteen year old with a warm smile. The green haired boy had rubbed the back of his head as he accepted her thanks.

Ganma came home not much later with takeout, he thanked Izuku for helping his family with a crushing hug. "It's good to know my wife and daughter had you to do all that heavy lifting." The middle age man said with a laugh. Tsuyu felt that telling her dad that she did just as much heavy lifting as Izuku was unnecessary. "Come have dinner with us." He offered to the male teen who politely accepted.

* * *

The following day Izuku came back early in the morning to help the Asui family finish moving the rest of their belongings. They had sent off most of their things, but now came moving their furniture. Izuku ended up helping Ganma with carrying their sofa and dining table into the truck.

Moving their TV was somewhat of a hassle, as while it wasn't heavy it was awkward to carry. To Izuku's embarrassment he nearly dropped, but was saved by Tsuyu's timely intervention. The frog-like teen had smiled at the sheepish boy as he readjusted his grip before continuing on.

Once everything was squared away the Beru and Ganma lead a crying Satsuki and quiet Samidare to the truck. Tsuyu stood in front of Izuku with a nervous expression she tried to smile at him, but it just came as hollow.

Izuku breathed out sadly before walking over to her and hugging her. Tsuyu's face became bright red when the green haired teen actually planted a soft peck on her cheek. "I'm going to miss being able to see you whenever I want." He told her.

Tsuyu nodded in response before wrapping her arms around him and holding him tighter. They maintained the embrace for a few more moments before pulling away. "I'll text you when we get there." Tsuyu said before looking to where the rest of her family were. It was time to go.

Izuku nodded to her words and watched her walk away. He remained in his spot as Tsuyu climbed into the truck and sat next to her siblings. He didn't move from the spot even as the truck pulled away from the now empty house. Only once they were out of sight did he allow himself control over his limbs again.

The walk home was longer than it should have been, Izuku's feet stopped moving for a time when he arrived at the park. Looking at the play area, currently occupied by a group of children Izuku couldn't help but imagine a younger him and Tsuyu. They had spent much time in the park training, and playing, he had quite a few memories here.

It was at that point that his cellphone vibrated. Izuku made a small noise of surprise as he pulled out his phone and read the latest text message. It was from Tsuyu telling him that she and her family had made it to their new home. The green haired teen managed a small smile as he quickly responded to his best friend's message. The boy sighed before shoving his phone into his pocket and walking home.

Inko picked up on her son's sadness immediately, she had been told about Tsuyu's family moving away the other night. Unfortunately the mother knew that there was very little she could do to improve her son's mood, but still gave him a hug when he walked into the kitchen. Hopefully this minor bout of heartache would pass, considering he would still be in contact with Tsuyu. It's not like they didn't have ways to message each other or visit.

* * *

Over the next few weeks Katsuki seemed to up his attempts at harassing Izuku. The spiky haired blond hurled his usual insults at him, though also poking fun at the fact that he no longer had Tsuyu around. Izuku became rather annoyed with his bully's need to bring up his absent friend. He tried to ignore the blond teen's words, but ultimately failed.

Roughly a week after Tsuyu moving away they got into a fight, Katsuki threw the first punch and Izuku reacted. Putting use of the knowledge of how Katsuki fought with the improvements of his physical capabilities he managed to stand toe to toe. Sadly Izuku ended up coming out of the fight the most damaged, many bruises and a couple of burn marks.

Though, much to Katsuki's explosive anger, the blond also didn't come out unscathed. He had a couple bruises that he refused to name the origin of. The fact that the useless Deku could manage to hurt him infuriated the aggressive boy. Over the next couple of years, whenever he tried to antagonize the Quirkless boy, they would end up coming to blows every now and then.

With some reluctance Katsuki could inwardly admit that he felt some grudging respect for Izuku. The fact that the boy, now alone, would actually stand up to him both pleased and infuriated him. On one hand he could appreciate someone who stood on their feet despite adversity, however he still felt it imperative to remind Izuku of his place beneath him.

Izuku gritted his teeth as he felt Katsuki's fist lodge itself in his stomach. Not allowing himself to falter he took the punch and launched one of his own into his opponent's jaw. He heard Katsuki grunt from the blow before feeling another fist hit his cheek.

Izuku stumbled back, panting as Katsuki glared at him. The blond hardly seemed to have broken a sweat, but he had a couple bruises forming. "Fucking Deku!" The spiky haired teen growled as small explosions appeared in his palms. He sprinted forward, intent on catching Izuku with his palms.

The green haired teen swallowed his fear best he could and countered. Grabbing Katsuki's wrist he pivoted and flung the aggressive teen over his shoulder. Katsuki released an angry growl as his back hit the pavement. Izuku watched as the increasingly angry teen stood back up, gulping he prepared for the retaliation he knew was coming.

Today's fight continued on for a bit longer, Katsuki's friends watched from the sidelines. When they had initially tried to help and gang up on Izuku the blond had all but exploded. "Stay the fuck out of this, you bastards! The last thing I need is help beating Deku!" His eyes were vicious as he spoke, promising much pain if they interfered. His friends remained frozen for a few more seconds before backing away.

Not long after that exchange Katsuki ended up coming out on top. For all of his physical capabilities, Izuku was just no match for the explosive teen. Izuku remained prone on the ground as the blond bully walked off with his cronies. Once they were gone the green haired teen sighed before slowly picking himself back up. It had been three months since Tsuyu left and things had hardly gotten better.

The days of hanging out with his best friend were almost nonexistent, they managed to spend time together on the weekends. Usually he'd visit her new house and hang out with her, though they usually played with her younger siblings. On one of the few weekends where she didn't have to watch Satsuki and Samidare she had come to see him and his mom. Thankfully they hadn't come across Katsuki that day while walking around the neighborhood, Tsuyu still didn't know about his tussles with the aggressive blond.

Izuku knew that his best friend would be proud of him for standing up to Katsuki, but he also realized that she'd be worried about him getting hurt. The green haired teen uttered another sigh as he grabbed his bag and went on his way home. He'd need to clean and bandage his latest injuries courtesy of Katsuki. "I should also put some of that ointment on these burns..." Izuku muttered as he placed his hand to his cheek before flinching. "Tch!" He hissed before biting down the pain.

He was broken out of his thoughts when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. His mom hardly ever texted him, she preferred to call, so he knew immediately who the message was from. Izuku pulled out his phone and unlocked the screen to view the latest text.

{Izuku, this Saturday my mom is off. So I'll be coming over this weekend. I hope you don't mind if I bring someone with me. I made a new friend, and I want you to meet her.}

Izuku smiled as he read her words and was about to reply when another message came through. To his surprise it was a photo, one of a smiling Tsuyu next to a red haired girl with yellow eyes and serpent-like features. Izuku could admit that some people might find the girl's appearance slightly off putting at first, but from what he could discern from the photo she seemed like a friendly person.

Pressing reply on his phone screen Izuku quickly typed a reply, expressing how he couldn't wait to see Tsuyu and meet her new friend. A few more exchanges later and the two agreed to meet at their usual meet-up spot on Saturday at ten-thirty.

Thankfully when Izuku got home his mother's eyes were away from the door, he managed to sneak to the bathroom and find the first aid kit. Treating his minor burns had been his first priority, followed by cleaning the few cuts he had. He had just finished tending to his light injuries when he was called for dinner by his mother. The green haired teen responded to her call, citing that he'd be there in a minute.

Izuku inhaled deeply before storing the first aid kit away and leaving the bathroom. Upon sitting down for dinner his mother made no mention of his the fresh bandages. She knew that he was training hard as ever, and thankfully bought his lie that any injuries he sustained were a result of that.

* * *

The rest of the week he had no more altercations with Katsuki, though the blond still felt it necessary to shoot him intimidating glares during school. Izuku did his best to focus on his study at school, and record the latest heroes who appeared on duty.

The weekend came and his minor injuries had since healed. Izuku arrived at the park roughly fifteen minutes before the meeting time. He felt slightly nervous at the prospect of meeting a new person, a friend of Tsuyu's no less. Sadly in the time that Tsuyu had been away he hadn't managed to make any new friend. Most the of his classmates were people who already knew him, and weren't keen on making friends with Bakugo Katsuki's favorite target.

Seven minutes after he had arrived Izuku spotted sight of both girls. It being near the end of spring, and just before summer, with the temperature on the rise. So both girls were dressed in clothes meant to combat the summer heat. Tsuyu was wearing a light colored shirt and skirt, while her friend was dressed similarly except with shorts.

Tsuyu's smile widened as she saw Izuku, she waved at him before grabbing the snake-like girl's hand. Leading her over Tsuyu stopped just in front of her friend before throwing her arms around him. "It's good to see Izuku." She said, her voice conveying much happiness at seeing her friend. Over the last two weeks they hadn't been able to visit each other, since she had been busy with her studies and taking care of her siblings.

Izuku smiled as he returned the hug, his face became slightly flushed but he was still happy nonetheless. "H-Hey Tsuyu." He managed before stepping back and turning his attention to the new arrival.

The serpent-like girl seemed to be glaring at him, although Izuku figured that was just her natural expression. Deciding that not introducing himself would be rude he held his hand out. "H-Hi, I'm Midoriya Izuku." Her thin tongue slipped out of her mouth before quickly slipping back in. "Um..." Izuku rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

Suddenly he felt his body jolt into stiffness before falling over. "Gah!" He gritted his teeth as he nearly ate the dirt, thankfully Tsuyu had been quick to catch him. Izuku was about to open his mouth to complain about not being able to move his limbs when he suddenly regained function of them. "Wh-What happened?" The Quirkless boy asked somewhat frantically.

The red haired girl finally spoke up. "That was my doing." She said raising her hand. "My Quirk allows me to paralyze anyone I look at for three seconds." She explained before gesturing over to Tsuyu. "Tsuyu-chan said that you'd probably want to know all about my Quirk, so I gave you a demonstration. By the way my name's Mongoose Habuko." She introduced herself after having blown through the initially awkward barrier.

Any other person would have been upset at the unprovoked use of her Quirk on their person. Izuku however was already drafting up theories as to how her Quirk worked, and how it could be used in certain situations. The redhead became slightly flabbergasted when Izuku started asking her for details on her Quirk.

Tsuyu smiled as she watched her oldest friend excitably ask Habuko about her powers. To her delight, once Habuko overcame her initial surprise, she seemed very happy not to have someone put off by her appearance.

* * *

The three teens continued talking for a little while longer after Habuko had finished telling Izuku everything she could about her Quirk. Tsuyu's two friends informed each other the circumstances of how they became friends with Tsuyu. Habuko found Izuku's story about how they met in fifth grade to be adorable. "I can totally picture you at ten, you must two must have looked so cute." The snake-like girl all but gushed to Tsuyu.

The two childhood friends blushed at Habuko's excited words. "We've been best friends ever since." Izuku capped off his story from where he'd been interrupted. During his story he had also ended up telling Habuko about his status as a Quirkless. To his relief Tsuyu's new friend had shown no pity or ridicule for his plight, and instead seemed in awe of his story.

Habuko also told Izuku how she and Tsuyu became friends. "So...I basically stalked her for like two months." Izuku nodded for a moment before blinking.

"Huh?"

Not at all deterred by his response Habuko continued. "When this new girl came to our school I started following her around, because she was basically like me. People weren't approaching her and she seemed lonely. I know what it's like to be lonely so I'd follow her around, use my Quirk on her because I got nervous, and then run away." Izuku turned to look at Tsuyu for confirmation and the smiling frog girl nodded. "But one day this crazy frog asked me to be her friend, and at first I yelled at her but then I asked her to be my friend...and yeah." Habuko felt herself becoming slightly self conscious at the perplexed look on Izuku's face.

Realizing that he was staring Izuku cleared his throat before speaking. "Well," He coughed into his hand. "I'm glad that Tsuyu managed to make a friend at her new school. So, thank you." He told the snake girl, honestly happy.

Habuko's nervous expression quickly gave way to excitement. "It's also really nice to meet you, I hope that we'll also be friends!" Izuku looked surprised for about three seconds before he quickly agreed with her sentiment.

The three left the park and made for the shopping center. Izuku and Tsuyu gave Habuko a fairly detailed tour of some of the places they frequented during their childhood. They stopped by the local arcade for some competitive fun. Habuko proved to be quite the advent gamer, and managed to wipe the floor with Izuku at most of the cabinets. They also visited a few of the local shops, to Izuku's horror one of them happened to be a clothing store. Being the only male of the group he was forced to endure the long time worst punishment any male could. Having to evaluate and give feedback to his female friends regarding their possible purchases.

Izuku about had a heart attack when Habuko convinced Tsuyu to showcase a tasteful, yet appealing swim suit. Considering how red Tsuyu's face was she was obviously very embarrassed by the whole thing as well. "Please don't make me do that again, Habuko-chan." The frog-like girl pleaded once they were back in the changing room. "Something like that is too much..."

Sure she and Izuku had gone swimming before, mostly during school. However there was an occurrence once or twice where they visited the local pool. Yet every time they went Tsuyu opted for wearing something much more conservative.

When they finally left the store Izuku was very much thankful to the deities above who had decided to take pity on him. However those same deities appeared to be laughing at him considering what happened not too long after. Izuku paled slight upon spotting a familiar head of spiky ashen blond. Bakugo Katsuki caught sight of him and his body stiffened as though Habuko had used her Quirk again. To his relief he was still standing, so obviously the red haired girl had done no such thing.

Katsuki met his gaze and narrowed his eyes into slits. Growling under his breath the blond turned to the three people around him and uttered something. Izuku watched in silence as his childhood bully advanced on him.

His three friends hurried to keep up with Katsuki's hurried pace. "Deku!" The blond growled out as he advanced on the green haired teen. Upon seeing the company he was keeping he grinned savagely. "I see Frogger's back." He chuckled humorlessly "Won't stop me from paying you back for the other day." The blond promised while punching his opened palm.

Tsuyu was confused by that statement but didn't bother questioning it. Instead she glared at the spiky haired youth. "Gero..." She hissed, ready to strike if he tried anything. During the near three years she had gone to school with these two she tried to avoid physical altercations with Katsuki. The rare exceptions being the few times he tried to physically harass her best friend.

Habuko frowned at seeing the new arrival, he obviously wasn't a friend of Izuku's. He seemed more like someone who hated him. "Who the hell are you?" The serpent-like girl asked as she crossed her arms.

Katsuki glanced passed Izuku and noticed the unfamiliar girl. "What are you supposed to be?" He asked while crossing his arms. He smirked when the snake girl stiffened in response. When she refused to answer he stepped forward. "Hey, I'm tal-! Gah!" He cried out as his body suddenly stopped moving and he kissed the pavement. "Wh-What the fuck!?" He cried out while trying to will his limbs.

Tsuyu was the first to figure out what had happened, turning to her friends she grabbed them each by the wrists and lead them away. "Come on, Gero!" She cried out before breaking into a run.

This seemed to anger the incapacitated blond. "G-Get back here!" A disoriented and pissed off Katsuki shouted after them as he picked himself back up.

Thankfully the three seconds that he was paralyzed proved to be an adequate enough of a head start for them to lose Katsuki. Once they felt it okay to stop running they sat down on the steps of a library. "Who was that jerk?" Habuko asked once she had caught her breath.

Izuku and Tsuyu looked at each other, they were each a little flushed from their run but not breathing as heavy. "Th-That was Bakugo, he likes pushing people around." Tsuyu explained with a frown. Now she couldn't help but wonder how Izuku was managing without her at school. She knew that Katsuki still had to be harassing her best friend, his attitude hadn't changed one bit.

"He sounds like an ass." The red haired girl bluntly uttered.

The two other teens didn't say anything in regard to her statement, but their expressions conveyed their agreement. "It's a good thing you were there." Izuku instead told her.

Tsuyu smiled widely at her red haired friend. "It was nice seeing Bakugo get his comeuppance." She said with a chuckle. Habuko blushed lightly at the compliments but seemed pleased.

* * *

The three teens endeavored to put the momentary set back behind them. They ended up visiting a bowling alley where Izuku proved to be quite adept. Tsuyu cheered as the green haired teen scored strike after strike. And to her surprise Habuko seemed to be pretty good at the sport as well, also getting quite a few strikes. It proved to be a fairly intense game between the two new friends. However in the end Izuku ended up emerging the victor.

"Wow it's after three." Izuku muttered as they walked out of the bowling alley. Turning to the two girls he suggested that they stop for lunch.

Twin grumbling stomachs were his answer, and he watched as their cheeks tinted in color. Walking around for a little bit they came across a little diner that he and Tsuyu sometimes ate at. A bell chimed as they entered, announcing their presence. A young host looked up from her podium before escorting them to a little booth. Habuko and Tsuyu sat on one side while Izuku sat across from them, they were given menus and the promise that they're server would be right with them.

"Hmm, what's good here?" Habuko asked as she quickly browsed the menu.

The two other teens didn't bother looking at they're menus, they had been here enough times that the pair already knew what they wanted. "The tomato soup is pretty good." Izuku commented while Tsuyu recommended a dish with jelly.

"Hmm, maybe I'll try the soup..." Habuko said as she continued looking through.

A server arrived shortly after and jotted their drink order before asking if they were ready. Habuko said that she wasn't quite ready, but that would decide after her friends ordered. Izuku ended up ordering a chicken sandwich while Tsuyu ordered her usual. After a few seconds of considering Habuko decided to go with Izuku's recommendation.

After their light lunch the group decided that it was time to call it a day. "I need to head home and pick up some stuff my mom needs." Habuko explained to the two as she and Tsuyu decided it was time to head for the train station. Izuku saw them off before walking home.

Later that night Izuku happily detailed an abridged version of his day to his mom. Inko listened with a warm smile as her son explained how he and Tsuyu, along with his new friend, filled their day. After dinner Izuku deposited his dish into the sink, and was ushered out of the kitchen by his mom. "Go ahead, I'll wash them." She told him.

Izuku nodded thankfully before escaping to his room, upon closing the door he received a text from Tsuyu. The green haired teen smiled as he read her typed words, explaining that she had gotten home safely and was now lounging around.

{Good to her, I just finished eating dinner. Today was a lot of fun, it was really cool meeting Mongoose-san. I hope we can all hang out together again.}

Izuku sent his reply and sat his phone down. Not even thirty seconds later he had received a response from Tsuyu. The Quirkless boy snatched his phone and quickly read her response.

{Thatd be grate. Maybe nxt wekend you can come ovr? :3}

Izuku smiled at her message before answering her question.

{Sounds like a plan, I'll be there. :)}

* * *

And there we have it, the end of chapter five.

Okay one important thing I want to bring to my reader's attention. Thus far I've managed to keep posting new chapter once a week, sadly that's going to stop. I'm still going to be working on this story, but from here on out I'm going to be going at a slower pace and doing my best to make sure every chapter is the best it can be. So I hope you'll all be patient with me and know that I have not given up on this story.

Anyways thanks for reading, I'll see you all in the next chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

Okay I have no excuse for how long I made you guys wait for this chapter. I will admit that stuff has gotten somewhat hectic outside of writing. Can't say because it's personal, and things are still going on so I haven't had as much time or motivation to write more than a little each day. Also I will tell you all right now that this chapter was a bit of a struggle. For the most part I knew what I wanted to do, but it's such a big change that I was a tad nervous as to how it will be taken. But it's necessary because this will change the game a fair bit, to say the least. Anyways enough of me rambling, please enjoy.

* * *

Childhood Frog

Chapter Six:

Tsuyu's brow furrowed as she met the stare of her reflection. "I don't know about this." She told Habuko, in a rare show uncertainty. It was early Saturday morning and the two friends were currently in Tsuyu's bedroom. Tsuyu had been trying on a different array of outfits in preparation for today, but as time went on felt herself becoming more and more dishearten. "Maybe I should just stick with more casual clothes." Honestly she'd prefer comfort over trying to look pretty.

Tsuyu chanced another look at the unfamiliar girl in the mirror. She did like the green dress that was reflected in the mirror, but at the same time she felt that it didn't look right on her. If Beru had chosen that moment to walk in, the older woman would have exclaimed how beautiful her daughter appeared. However the less confident side of Tsuyu couldn't even begin to consider that statement. "Maybe it would just be better to forget about this..." The snort from across the other side of the room demanded Tsuyu's attention.

Piercing yellow eyes twitched slightly at Tsuyu's tone. Habuko briefly remembered the conversation she and her best friend had over the phone the previous night. "You and I both know that I'm not going to let you." She had promised Tsuyu that she would make sure she didn't back out of this. 'Tsuyu-chan needs to do this. Even if it doesn't go the way she wants it to...which I know it will.' The serpent like girl inwardly sighed as she thought about her two friends. "Also are you really going to deprive Midoriya-chan the treat of seeing you dressed up?" She asked with a playfully lighthearted wink.

Frowning Tsuyu walked over to her desk and picked up two amusement park tickets. "Maybe I will..." Tsuyu said looking down. She could feel Habuko's disapproving eyes on her, causing her to quickly crumble. "I can't really get out of this, I shouldn't even try to." Tsuyu said turning her dark eyes to Habuko. "I'm just really nervous." She admitted before sitting down on her bed.

The serpent-like girl smiled sympathetically as she lowered herself next to Tsuyu and rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know, Tsuyu-chan. But I'm telling you, once you get it all out in the open, you'll feel better." Habuko promised with a reassuring squeeze on Tsuyu's shoulder. "Just remember the three basic steps we agreed on and you'll do just fine."

Tsuyu smiled at her friend's encouragement. "You're right, Habuko-chan." She agreed with her second ever friend. "The first part is showing him the tickets."

Habuko nodded, pleased with her friend's acceptance of their plan. "Right, then after a little bit of fun at the park, ride the Ferris Wheel, and confess." Habuko's held a mirthful gleam. "Then when he's all gob smacked, stick your tongue down his throat." She greatly enjoyed the moment that Tsuyu's face became the same shade as her flame colored locks.

Tsuyu frowned as she fought to control the flush of her face. "I-If I did that Izuku would die of a heart attack!" She cried out before croaking. "Gero." Tsuyu looked down, despite her reaction she couldn't help but picture how her friend's suggestion could turn out. The tips of her ears easily matched Habuko's crimson locks.

Habuko cackled at the rarity of seeing her best friend so flustered. It wasn't easy to get a reaction out of Tsuyu, something Habuko had learned during the many months they had been friends. However she had found that things relating to Izuku could elicit something of interest from her. "I'm kidding." She told Tsuyu who sighed in relief. "Let him stick his tongue down your throat, instead."

Tsuyu had to fight the urge to cry out that would never happen. Instead she took a deep breath and calmly explained why her friend's advice was no good. "There are at least two reasons why that probably won't happen." She intoned before elaborating. "Izuku is not exactly that forward. If any kissing," She tried to ignore the heat in her cheeks. Also something gave Tsuyu the impression that if they did start dating that she'd have to be the one to initiate certain things. Even with his improved confidence over the years Izuku would always be a polite person.

Habuko inwardly chuckled at Tsuyu's first reason, but quickly cut her off when she opened her mouth to state her next point. "Don't even give me that spiel about why you think Izuku doesn't like you, like that." The serpent-like teen quickly told her.

Tsuyu's frown turned into a slight pout. "I'm still going to think it." She stubbornly informed Habuko who rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, that's not the point. Whether Izuku likes you back or not," before adding the next bit under her breath. "which I argue he does," she cleared her throat. "Is irrelevant right now." Habuko lightly jabbed her index finger into Tsuyu's shoulder. "You pride yourself on always speaking your mind, and as your friend I'm going to make sure you speak your mind to him about this."

Tsuyu breathed a sigh. "This is what I get for asking you not to let me back out. Gero..."

Habuko smiled before patting her friend's shoulder. "Don't be so nervous Tsuyu-chan, this will all work out and you'll thank me in the end." She promised.

Tsuyu looked up to see Habuko's open expression. Despite her complaints she still couldn't help but feel grateful for the push her friend was giving her. "Even if I'm still not quite sure of this, I still appreciate your support." Tsuyu said, speaking her mind.

Habuko grinned in response before hugging her frog-like friend. "What are friends for?" She asked the other girl rhetorically. Tsuyu nodded and returned the hug, happy to have friends who cared about her. Not long after Habuko sent her friend off with the promise to call her later for details.

* * *

It was around noon that same day when Tsuyu arrived at hers and Izuku's usual meeting spot. She was nervously clutching the tickets in her large hands. Despite the pep talk Habuko had delivered that morning she was still a bundle of nerves for this. Eventually she caught sight of a blissfully ignorant to her feelings Izuku approaching from the other side of the park. The green haired boy noticed her immediately and did a slight double take upon realizing that she was wearing a dress. "That's a good sign." The frog-like girl muttered hopefully under her breath.

It took a few moments for Izuku to remember his surroundings and resume making his way toward her. He couldn't help the way his eyes were drawn to his attractive friend's figure. In the nearly four years they had known each other he had noticed her slowly changing form, becoming more developed. He had seen her in a form fitting shorts during their work-out sessions, but this was new.

Tsuyu was hardly the type to dress up, save for a rare special event. Izuku privately enjoyed the chance to see his best friend/crush in a dress for a change. Even if it did make him feel a tad underdressed in grey shorts and a t-shirt. Brushing away such thoughts he greeted her cheerfully and asked her if she had been waiting long. Tsuyu managed a friendly smile and told him that the wait hadn't been that long. "So..." He started out. "What did you have plan for today?" Asked Izuku, figuring that she had something in mind.

Tsuyu swallowed her nervousness as best she could before presenting the amusement park tickets. "I thought this would be fun." She told Izuku as his eyes quickly scanned the contents of his ticket. When he raised his gaze back to her and expressed excitement at the prospect of a fun day at a park she grinned in return and offered to lead the way.

The walk to the amusement park was filled with idle chit chat between the two friends. Izuku caught Tsuyu up on his progress with his training. Over three years since they had met and he was still adamant about staying on top of things. Tsuyu could admit that she had slacked slightly during the last six months, her hero studies had really piled up along with having to watch her siblings. This was actually the first time in over three weeks that she had managed to find time to come see Izuku.

Tsuyu was happy that her friend was still putting in the work to be a hero and told him such. "I admire your dedication Izuku, sadly I can't say that I've been able to keep to our schedule." She admitted with some regret. Even if at first the early morning workouts had been hard she had come to enjoy them greatly, mostly because it was something between her and Izuku.

Izuku beamed at her compliment. "I can't lie, it's been kind of hard doing it on my own. I miss coming to the park in the morning and seeing you." He told her, the tips of his hears turning red.

Tsuyu felt her heart flutter in agreement. As much as she liked her new school and Habuko, she did miss spending most of her time with Izuku. "I miss that too. Maybe that has something to do with why I haven't been able to keep up with it as much as I want to." Tsuyu mused while tilting her head in thought. "Habuko-chan is a great friend, but she's not interested in being a hero." Her serpent-like friend would never care to spend a few hours working out like she used to alongside Izuku. On the bright side making a new friend had allowed her to broaden her horizons. The frog-like girl remembered how Habuko had managed to drag her to a karaoke club one day after school, and that had been a lot of fun.

Izuku nodded at his friend's response before rubbing the back of his neck. Looking ahead he caught sight of what he believed to be the park entrance. "Oh, I uh think we're here." He said, prompting Tsuyu to follow his gaze. Tsuyu smiled as she did her best to ignore her own nervousness. Grabbing Izuku's hand, and pretending her heart wasn't beating a like a drum, she quickly led him to the ticket booth, Izuku murmuring nervously the whole way.

With it being after lunch time on a Friday the wait ended up being fairly long. The two teens didn't really notice, so engrossed in their conversation that they unintentionally held up the line. An impatient man with sunglasses quickly tapped one of Izuku's shoulders before pointing forward.

The pair had the decency to look embarrassed before moving forward and presenting their tickets. The person running the ticket booth, a bored-looking teen, glanced at the two teens before quickly ushering them in. Izuku thanked the older teen as he told them, monotonously, to have a fun time.

Once in the park Tsuyu turned to Izuku and asked. "Is there any particular ride you want to try first?" The frog-like girl smiled as she saw Izuku looking around, trying to gauge what would be fun for a first ride.

Izuku would admit that he wasn't a huge fan of super fast intense rides, but he knew that Tsuyu enjoyed them. So figuring that it would be best to get those kinds of rides out of the way before lunch, and so that he wouldn't lose his lunch, he suggested as such. "How about a couple of roller coasters?" He pointed to an attraction that was in sight.

Tsuyu followed his gaze and grinned when she saw a purple structure that had a coaster with six links on it going through a series of loops. The frog-like girl knew that her friend didn't particular care for these kinds of attractions, but she did appreciate him picking one out for her. "That one looks like fun, let's get in line." She told him before grabbing his wrist and leading him.

Izuku gulped inaudibly as he allowed his friend to lead him along. As they made for the ride his stomach started doing backflips, and it wasn't just because of fear for the upcoming ride. Doing his best to pretend that he wasn't nervous Izuku managed a small smile as he and Tsuyu stood at the back of the line.

While waiting Tsuyu asked Izuku if he had added any more entires into his database. At her question the green haired boy nodded excitably as he rambled on about some of his latest additions. Izuku was in the process of telling her about a hero who could immobilize his targets by stepping on their shadow, right as they made it to the front of the line.

Almost immediately Izuku stopped talking as they were led to the their cart. Gulping he allowed Tsuyu to slide in first, and then sat next to her. The door closed and they were strapped in, when his hand found hers he wrapped it in a tight squeeze. As the ride slowly started to move Tsuyu turned to look at Izuku and figured that his strained expression had to do with fear of the ride. Offering an encouraging smile she kept her hand in his.

Izuku didn't return her gaze, instead focused on the track before him, but he appreciated her attempt to comfort him. The slight jerking of the ride inching forward made him gulp as the roller coaster trudged along at a subdued pace. Looking ahead he saw the very large incline, that once they passed it would be high speed adrenalin for the rest of the ride. The moment they went over the hill the ride instantly sped up he, and everyone else screamed in excitement, though his screams were more akin to terror.

Tsuyu had the decency to look apologetic as Izuku stumbled off the ride and steadied himself by hanging onto a nearby trashcan. To her relief he wasn't puking up the contents of his stomach, but he was panting excessively. "Sorry Izuku..." She said as Izuku shook his head.

Letting go of the trashcan he found that despite his shaky legs he was able to stand. "N-No..." He managed once he caught his breath. "I'm o-okay..." The trembling of his shoulders slowly subsided. Tsuyu didn't say anything, but she didn't look completely convinced by her friend's assertion. Seeing that the frog-like girl still appeared skeptical Izuku reaffirmed his statement.

Tsuyu relented and allowed her worry to recede. "If you're sure..." She replied. "What ride do you want to try next?" She asked before looking at the assortment of rides. As her friend studied the different attractions she tried to direct him to something a little more relaxing. Even though she preferred high speed adrenalin inducing rides, she knew that Izuku would appreciate something not too intense.

* * *

Over the next couple of hours the two teens spent trying a variety of rides, ranging from heart stopping roller coasters that left Izuku panting for breath to relaxing boat rides that made the teens become highly flustered. "I-I did not realize it was the t-tunnel of love..." And embarrassed Tsuyu said honestly. "Gero..." When Habuko heard about this she was going to laugh her head off.

Izuku swallowed nervously as he nodded in response. "I-It's no b-big deal, i-it was just a relaxing b-boat ride..." And if during the entire ride he had fought an intense internal battle whether or not to wrap his arm around her, then she didn't need to know that. "Wh-Where to next?" He asked, hoping to put this awkwardness behind them.

Tsuyu cleared her throat and looked around before finding a map of the park. She saw that the Ferris Wheel wasn't too far from their current location, but blanched at the idea of doing that at the moment. 'After that last ride, no thank you.' She inwardly groaned before pointing at an attraction purposely on the other side of the park. "We could try this one." The frog-like girl suggested.

Izuku followed where Tsuyu had pointed and grinned upon seeing that it was the Zero Gravity attraction. "That sounds like fun." He said, excited at the prospect of being able to fly around and feel like a superhero.

Tsuyu, having allowed herself to put recent events out of her mind, returned his grin. Grabbing his wrist she quickly led him through the park until they arrived at the Sci-Fi attraction. An uneventful wait in line later and they were allowed in, floating and flying through air proved to be a fun way to pass the time. Thankfully the Gravity Chamber had very few people right now, so the two were able to enjoy the attraction to the fullest without bothering anyone.

Not too long after their fun at the gravity attraction the two decided to stop for lunch. The concession stand proved to be somewhat pricey, but the teens were able to afford it so they bought their food with little complaint.

Eventually the pair had been on just about every ride, save for the Ferris Wheel. Tsuyu's voice had a slight hitch as she suggested this particular ride. However imagining Habuko cheering her on made getting through her request a tad easier. Her face heated only slightly as she recalled her snake like friend's teasing remarks. Izuku seemed keen on the idea of a relaxing Ferris Wheel ride and agreed. "At least it should be easy on my stomach..." Izuku had quietly said.

Tsuyu smiled at her friend as the came to the end of the fairly short line. Before long they were led to their carriage and settled in across from each other. A few moments later the ride began and their carriage was lifted off the ground. The two teens sat in silence as the looked out the window to see the entire park. It was much later in the day, and the park was now a nice shade of orange. Izuku chanced a glance at Tsuyu and was surprised to see her looking at him.

Almost in sync the two turned away from each other and breathed out awkward laughs. Izuku rubbed the back of his neck while Tsuyu hesitantly looked back at him. After another moment of silence Izuku's eyes met hers. The two teens held each other's gaze until the Ferris Wheel came to a stop at the top.

Izuku breathed out a strangled gasp as Tsuyu, unprepared for the sudden jerking motion, fell into his lap. Almost instinctually his arms wrapped around her small frame as he tried to help her back into her seat. The male teen stiffened like a board upon hearing Tsuyu mutter something.

When he didn't immediately respond to her muffled words Tsuyu glanced up at the red faced boy. "I like you..." She said, her own face aflamed. "...A lot." She added as Izuku started babbling nonsense. Izuku knew that he was completely flubbing this up, but when he finally managed to regain enough of his wits to shut up he was dismayed to see that they were back to ground level. The door opened and he and Tsuyu simply stared at each other. They remained this way until a park employee politely asked them to get off.

The pair made the silent agreement that it was time to leave the park. After that particular incident there was no way that they could go back to blissfully enjoying the theme park.

* * *

The walk to the train station was filled with the worst kind of silence. Tsuyu knew that Izuku wasn't good at interacting with members of the fairer sex, it had taken him at least a couple months after they first met before he fully dropped his nervousness with her. He still occasionally stuttered with Habuko when she was around. Though Tsuyu could pin that to Habuko having a rather forward personality.

Tsuyu could admit that she was rather awkward too, but in a different way. She could get embarrassed like any other girl, but she always tried to push past it with her blunt honesty and penchant for speaking her mind. In fact her hesitation in confessing to Izuku felt rather unlike her. Despite the horrible awkward air currently exiting between them she was glad that she had gotten her feelings out in the open. She just wished that Izuku would respond, either positively or negatively. Tsuyu's feet came to a stop and Izuku continued walking for five seconds before also stopping.

When he turned to look at her, eyes hesitant, she spoke. "Please give me an answer Izuku. I don't like this hanging over us." Izuku's eyes became saucer plates, but his vocal cords refused to cooperate. Tsuyu stepped forward. "This was supposed to be a date," Her admission prompted Izuku's voice to start working, but he was only capable of babbling murmurs. "I wanted to tell you how I felt today." Tsuyu continued, ignoring his babbling. Izuku's quiet murmurs continued on for a few minutes. The frog-like girl felt her face heat up as she swore she heard the word "cute" hidden somewhere amongst his mumblings.

Finally when it seemed like his murmuring wouldn't stop Izuku suddenly cried out. "I like you too, please go out with me!" His eyes clenched shut as his arms remained stiff at his sides. Tsuyu stared at him, wide eyed at his proclamation, it actually took her a moment to react. Tsuyu's lips slowly curved into a wide smile and, much to Izuku's surprise, enveloped him in a tight hug.

The two teens quickly broke apart when the hug lingered for loner than they were comfortable with. Even Tsuyu could admit that the stares of the few random passerby's were unnerving. "Probably shouldn't have done this out in the open..." The teal haired girl muttered as she and Izuku quickly left the area.

The remainder of their walk was also enveloped with awkward silence, though it wasn't as tense as earlier. Both teens, highly inexperienced with confessions and romance had no idea how to proceed from here. Izuku had opened his mouth a couple times, intending to break the silence, but kept chickening out as he realized he didn't know what to say.

By the time they had gotten to the train station for Tsuyu to head back home, he still hadn't managed to say anything. The green haired teen was still lost in his own head, trying to fine the right words, when he felt a soft peck on his cheek. Mouth gaping he looked up to see a pink faced Tsuyu who was smiling at him. Tsuyu's grin widened at her friend's fish-like expression. "I'll text you went I get home. Gero." She told him before heading off.

Izuku stood in place watching her until she was out of sight, and even then he didn't move from his spot. He actually remained standing in place for so long that one of the station employees came over to ask him if he was alright. Registering someone shaking his shoulder Izuku shook his head before looking at the mildly concerned man and stuttering an assurance that he was okay.

The station employee didn't seem to completely buy his words, but shrugged and returned to his duties. Izuku turned and left the station. Halfway to his house his phone vibrated, a text from Tsuyu. Before unlocking his phone he felt his palms becoming sweaty and his heartbeat picking up. Taking a deep breath Izuku opened her message and nearly dropped his phone.

{Next weekend, let's go on an actual date.}

At the end of her text was a winking frog emoji. Izuku gulped nervously before composing his reply, expressing his excitement at the idea. Once he sent his message he pocketed his phone and ran home to tell his mother of this amazing news. Next week he had a date with his childhood friend, and while he was nervous he was also ecstatic.

* * *

And there's chapter six. So yeah, bit of a development. I know that having Tsuyu and Izuku get together at this point in the story might seem unexpected and early, but it's also important to remember that at this point they've been friends for three years. And Tsuyu always speaks her mind, I don't think she'd keep something like having feelings for him hidden for long. Also I wanted to try something different, so this way when they go to UA they'll already be together and this will make for a more changed dynamic.

Edit: Went back through and made a few adjustments to try and clean things up a bit. Story is still the same, but I caught a couple mistakes and tried to make it flow a tad better.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I have no idea when the next one will be up, as it is slow going. But I will endeavor to do my best. Plus Ultra!


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